Is Pegasus Books the old living retail store in downtown Bend owned by the same owner in the same location?
If not, I'm one of the oldest. 34 years, 30 years owned by me.
Which is ironic because when we started I'm pretty sure all the established businesses thought I was a joke. Heh.
I wasn't aware that Roberts Clothes for Men had sold 8 years ago. I thought it was still in the family.
Conversation I had with them 15 years ago.
"I believe these street closures are bad for business..." I venture.
"They may be bad for business on the day, but they help overall."
"How do you know that?"
"Take care of your own business, bub."
So that makes 100% of the people who told me (back when I actually asked them) that street closures are "good" for business who have gone out of business.
And I'm still here. How does that happen?
Recognizing reality?
Street closures are a bureaucracy by now, self-perpetuating, enduring, impossible to get rid of, even though on most summer days we are near gridlock downtown. We really don't have the problem of being "discovered" anymore...
Anyway, I couldn't let the entire summer go by without at least mentioning my dislike of street closures.
The Bite of Bend wasn't helpful. An average Saturday, below average Sunday.
Robert's had 4500 sq. ft. of space, so it is really hard to imagine paying that kind of rent (or mortgage).
It would be the perfect spot for a bookstore, though I would use only half that space.
But as I keep telling myself, after years of struggle and finally reaching some sort of self-sustaining equilibrium, that I'd better not mess with the formula. (Knock wood.)
Things are working. Be proud. Leave be. Enjoy.
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5 comments:
An interesting post ...... who knew you still had it in you?
FD
I'm with you on the street closures, just on general principles of annoyingness. Why do we need these stupid 'festivals' every other month? I think of them as pestivals. You know, Summer Pest, Winter Pest, October Pest. Streets closed, loud music into the night (clearly audible at my home, a mile away, indoors with windows closed, so we have to wear earplugs to bed). Sigh.
We did twice as good this Saturday as during the Bite of Bend. Really, why are we inviting outsiders to steal our thunder (when we pay dearly for our rent during the off season?)
For what? Cookie cutter pestivals...lol!
Bingo, you have it right. Here in Springfield, Oregon the area has no clue retail exists on the weeekends. With Eugene's Saturday markets that destroy their downtown business from April to October on Saturday to the U of O football games that destroy Saturdays all over here from October to Christmas, it is often one of our weakest days formerly in the mall and now in the strip mall.
They thought about closing downtown Bend streets at one point, like Eugene, but sanity prevailed -- barely.
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