[bluewatergirl888]

Are there any non-retired "snow birds" out there? My S/O has a restaurant up North and she is considering closing in the winter and opening something (small restaurant or something similar) in Florida November - March. How feasible is this? Are there any seasonal businesses in Florida that are run or owned by people who live elsewhere? How do independent restaurants do in Florida? Do people support them, or do they prefer chain restaurants?
Thanks!

[seeriously]

Originally Posted by bluewatergirl888

Are there any non-retired "snow birds" out there? My S/O has a restaurant up North and she is considering closing in the winter and opening something (small restaurant or something similar) in Florida November - March. How feasible is this? Are there any seasonal businesses in Florida that are run or owned by people who live elsewhere? How do independent restaurants do in Florida? Do people support them, or do they prefer chain restaurants?
Thanks!

Where I am, restaurants are open all year round. Ice Cream stands are seasonable, however.

[Lilybeans]

Originally Posted by bluewatergirl888

Are there any non-retired "snow birds" out there? My S/O has a restaurant up North and she is considering closing in the winter and opening something (small restaurant or something similar) in Florida November - March. How feasible is this? Are there any seasonal businesses in Florida that are run or owned by people who live elsewhere? How do independent restaurants do in Florida? Do people support them, or do they prefer chain restaurants?
Thanks!

How do you plan to do this? No one will rent space to a business for just a few months, so you will have the fixed expenses all year long with no income.

[bluewatergirl888]

I don't think it's feasible either, but I wanted to get other's input. Are there any other business that are run just in the winter?

[Tarastomsgirl]

I agree thats gonna be a hard one.. Heck even the ice cream stores are open year round in swfl.

[bluewatergirl888]

Originally Posted by Tarastomsgirl

That was definetly an appeal, less chain stores up here, mostly mom and pop. And they have better quality stuff than any target or walmart sells

Did you enjoy living in FL?

[deckardc]

Personally, I tend to avoid the chain restaurants. I can't remember the last time I was in an Olive Garden or a Ruby Tuesday.

It depends on what part of the state your friend wants to open a business in. I live on the panhandle and up here, several of the mom 'n pop restaurants actually close during the winter. Many close from November 1 - March 1. Captain Anderson's in Panama City Beach comes to mind. Many of these places cater to the tourist so they don't bother to open when the tourists are scarce.

I agree with the point someone made about only leasing from Nov. - Mar. Commercial real estate is starting to suffer down here just like residential real estate. You might be hard pressed to find someone willing to lease for less than 1 year.

[Sunandsand]

Originally Posted by Tarastomsgirl

That was definetly an appeal, less chain stores up here, mostly mom and pop. And they have better quality stuff than any target or walmart sells

Nonsense, NH has as many or more chain stores than anyplace else. In just your little town of 20,000 people you have BOTH Walmart and Target...and Borders, and Home Depot, and Sears, and Penneys, and tons of chain restaurants!! There are almost 30 Walmarts in the little state of NH for goodness sakes, with many more right over the borders in neighboring states, a fact easily checked on their website.

Walmart 360 Winchester st. Keene, NH.
Target 46 Ash Blvd. Keene, NH.

And a quote from a city forum regular who lives up there:

"In Keene you can find lots of chain type stores. Target, Borders, Home Depot, Walmart, KB Toys, Sears, JC Penney, Olive Garden, 99, Pizza Uno..."

Yup, NH is all mom and pops, hmmm, all those silly chain stores must do no business. Those amazing NH people ONLY shop at mom and pops! And when I visit my relatives in Goffstown and Nashua, I must be imagining all the strip centers and chain stores we pass!!

Moderator deleted

[gypsychic]

[quote=Sunandsand;1969210]Nonsense, NH has as many or more chain stores than anyplace else. In just your little town of 20,000 people you have BOTH Walmart and Target...and Borders, and Home Depot, and Sears, and Penneys, and tons of chain restaurants!! There are almost 30 Walmarts in the little state of NH for goodness sakes, with many more right over the borders in neighboring states, a fact easily checked on their website.

Walmart 360 Winchester st. Keene, NH.
Target 46 Ash Blvd. Keene, NH.

And a quote from a city forum regular who lives up there:

"In Keene you can find lots of chain type stores. Target, Borders, Home Depot, Walmart, KB Toys, Sears, JC Penney, Olive Garden, 99, Pizza Uno..."

Yup, NH is all mom and pops, hmmm, all those silly chain stores must do no business. Those amazing NH people ONLY shop at mom and pops! And when I visit my relatives in Goffstown and Nashua, I must be imagining all the strip centers and chain stores we pass!!

Orphaned

[Tarastomsgirl]

Originally Posted by bluewatergirl888

Did you enjoy living in FL?

not at all, even as a child i would tell my mother i was going to move away when I grew up. My husband who moved down from Maine couldn't stand SWFL. We finally got away and both agree we'll never move back. We just don't like the people, the weather(its snowing here right now and we're estatic we love it) and we're not big on beaches, it gets old believe me and endless summer and bugs.. Ugh the snowbirds and everyone else can take itall