211–220 of 256 posts
There is a really cool place in Denver called Wizard’s Chest. I think they make good money off costumes, but also Warhammer 4k (and to a related lesser extent DnD). Nice people, too.
If you want to open a store you wait for a vacancy and apply. Citizens may vote for the applicants, the closer you live the more weight the vote has.
Count the store visitors and set some reasonable minimum. They don't have to buy anything. To much traffic would give priority for a larger building.
The first n square meters is free (smallest building). Low rent for anything above.
People want a tea room but you can't survive doing that unless you price the hot water absurdity. You can have lots of small shops selling eye candy. They don't have to sell a lot of wooden dragons, as long as it attracts visitors it's good to have.
It will be a town or city in the least boring percentage.
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It's really baffling that even in the shittiest areas rents or property prices are insane. It seems the capital owners just don't care or don't lose enough money to care. They should be expropriated. Of course that won't happen.
land value taxes would fix this. is too cheap to sit on derelict property
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If it's empty and crumbling, I doubt it's all that valuable to be repurposed for housing or anything else. I did note the other day in the very small downtown of a nearby minor city that the the ancient travel agent is now a party supply store. But, really, there's not a lot in that downtown.
The point of LVT is right there in the name: it is the land that has value. "Location, location, location" is an old cliche for a reason. If you let your property go empty and crumble, the Land Value Tax is there to provide the incentive for you to either fix up the property and actually use it, or sell it to someone who will.
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High commercial rent affects not only diverse businesses (good ideas that take risks) but also the quality and accessibility of goods of necessary businesses. Near me, simple mens' haircuts have soared to $35+... Except those shops that have been around for ages and own their buildings. They still charge sub $20. Another gripe is the amount of "luxury" apartments popping up. Inviting & modern interiors but all faux c…
A good haircut takes about 30 minutes. So if the barber is getting $20/cut that's $40/hr gross max assuming he's booked solid every day (most are not). From that they have to cover the rent (or property tax, insurance, and upkeep if they own the shop), utilities, scissors/clippers and other instruments, consumables, their own self-employment tax, health insurance, and retirement. That doesn't sound like it would leav…
I own a reasonably well performing indie bookstore. I've noticed for the model to work you need a critical mass of other local shops clustered to make the trip an experience for families and diverse tastes. My working theory is that three of such small businesses are sufficient and could operate well with a common inventory strategy and manager (e.g. a bookstore, a toy store, and a tea or candy shop...nothing that sp…
Yup, that's why molls were so successful. They were deteriorating because of Internet, as a new "moll", covid speed up the process. But, frankly speaking, molls also killed many mom & pops shops scattered in the cities. So this is just evolution, I am not sure if it goes in the right direction, but consumers have the last word and they have spoken, even though, in the long run it hurts them.
"Moll": a mobster's girlfriend.
Your paragraph becomes quite amusing if one assumes you didn't make a typo.
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The point of LVT is right there in the name: it is the land that has value. "Location, location, location" is an old cliche for a reason. If you let your property go empty and crumble, the Land Value Tax is there to provide the incentive for you to either fix up the property and actually use it, or sell it to someone who will.
What if nobody wants to buy it and you can't pay the tax?
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I have seen bookstore (second-handed books) thriving near universities. Your idea is actually very interesting and remind me of the mall model -- the mall model worked because everyone in the family gets his/her own share of pleasure. Of course the traffic matters a lot, too. Hope you start that experiment soon and succeed!
The general theory of most malls was that you had anchor stores. My local one has a couple of stores adjacent to the mall (a local chain supermarket and and Home Depot) that are very busy, almost too much so. The mall itself is pretty much dead and has been on the market for ages. The anchor stores--JCPenney, Sears, and Macy's are all long gone. Haven't been in the actual mall in ages but I assume it's pretty sad and…
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The path to the return of main street is bullying your city council to attach ridiculous property tax penalties for any vacancies for whatever the central business district commercial zone is and not allow land zoned in that fashion to change. Force the rents and property values down until a competitive market rate is arrived at naturally. Punish the greed that attempts to store or preserve value by leaving things va…
You don't think that corporate weasels have a way to avoid the tax? In Nevada, if you have a gaming license you must "use it or lose it", and for this reason, sometimes 24-hour "casinos" pop up in vacant buildings, just to operate the minimum number of hours to keep the license. Like one day a year. If you tried to implement a vacant property tax they would set up the most pathetic minimum-compliant "business" you co…
Put into the zoning ordinance business hours where doors have to be open, business has to be staffed and stocked. Property tax penalties apply for daily violations when you don't operate more than the minimum of, say, 250 days per year. Cities could also take inspiration from France in which zoning details and approves the EXACT kind of business, and you could have rules accordingly.
LLM generated lease clause just as an example of the shape of things:
>"Tenant shall continuously conduct its permitted business in the Leased Premises on all regular business days, opening for business no later than 9:00 AM and remaining open until at least 9:00 PM, or during such other hours as are customary for similar businesses in the Shopping Center. Tenant shall continuously maintain a full stock of merchandise and adequate staff to properly serve the public. Should Tenant cease operations without the Landlord's prior written consent, Landlord shall have the right to declare Tenant in default, seek injunctive relief to compel reopening, and recover damages or impose an alternative 'go-dark' rent penalty."
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A good haircut takes about 30 minutes. So if the barber is getting $20/cut that's $40/hr gross max assuming he's booked solid every day (most are not). From that they have to cover the rent (or property tax, insurance, and upkeep if they own the shop), utilities, scissors/clippers and other instruments, consumables, their own self-employment tax, health insurance, and retirement. That doesn't sound like it would leav…
30 minutes? There's a ton of men with a simple hairstyle just going for a quick trim, a competent barber should be able to handle three or four of those per hour easily.