I figure it can be pretty tough to make it as a retailer in New York City. Sure, there are tons of potential customers, but the rents have to be astronomical and competition is fierce. Yet, there are pockets of confusing successes in the city, like along Sixth Avenue, where in one block (and this is a shorter north-south block, not the longer east-west block) there’s not one, not two, but three stores that sell exclusively beads.
Yes, beads.
My first thought is: who buys beads?
My second thought is: could one store possibly sell enough beads to make rent, let alone payroll?
My third thought is: how the hell do three bead stores exist in the same block and survive?
In case you don’t believe me, peek at the street view and you’ll see Fun 2 Bead and NY Beads right next door to each other. Click left twice and there’s Bead Empire. There are other bead shops nearby, but no three as close to each other as these.
Posted in Consumer Commentary
COD March 27, 2011, 12:51 pm
The bead store in Fredericksburg failed – didn’t make it a year.