What Small Business Would You Like to See? (Portland, Bangor: buying a home, buying)

[BacktoNE]

Some background for those who may be unfamiliar.

DH & I are desperately hoping to be back in Maine this year. After much consideration, we realize that what would make us the happiest is to own a small business and work together. We have no expectations of becoming wealthy off this, and we don't care. We have simple tastes and are not at all extravagant. We just want to be home.

We have no interest in the southern Maine region as it is already full of small and large businesses and doesn't need another.

So, for the rest of you, if you live in a small or medium sized town (less than 17K) what type of small business would you like to see in your town? We aren't overly fussy. It could be a coffee shop, video store, home decor (not a big furniture store however), we are open minded. We aren't techies and we don't have a lot of knowledge of power tools/equipment so those types wouldn't work too well.


Please list your town (or region if you aren't comfortable with specifics) and the type of business your area needs or desperately wants. I know where many of you are, but DH doesn't so the more information for him, the better.

Thank you!!

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Central Tractor outlet in Lincoln. They have all manner of hardware for rural living. Most hardware stores just have indoor items for home repair and remodeling. Auto parts stores deal with cars and pickups. Central Tractor fills in the gaps not served by those other hardware outlets.

Caution: Do not confuse Central Tractor with Tractor Supply. TS is very high priced. They have good stuff, but I can't afford to buy there. The windshield scraper you buy for $1.99 at Hannaford's is $5 at Tractor Supply.

[island mermaid]

Can either of you cook or enjoy baking? What about a little catering business run out of your own home. Simply making up a bunch of good old fashioned New England dinners, prepackaging them in small to mid size to family size meals. Freezing them and selling them.

I'm thinking Shepherds Pie, Tuna Noodle casserole, American Chop Suey, Lasagna, Chicken Kiev etc. You get my drift. In this day and age, no matter which town you live in, people work. The convenience of stopping in somewhere on your way home and buying a homemade meal, ready to thaw or throw in the oven when you get home from a busy day at work. People can no longer afford to go out to grab a quick bite and it's all about convenience for the working family. Low overhead, you could do a regular weekly menu. Each Monday it's meatloaf, Tuesday something different.

I know of a few of these places in the Portland / Brunswick area that do well. I see no reason why they wouldn't do well in northern Maine either. I was willing to pay to have someone prepare a simple homemade meal for my busy family. I don't think I ever paid more than approx $15 max for enough to feed a busy family of 4. It was far less expensive than eating out and well worth my time in the kitchen. People still have to eat, no matter where you live.

Just a thought...

[Submariner]

Our town [Argyle] only has one store-front business. It is a gunsmith.

Anything else would effect the town feel.

The next closest storefronts would be a mom/pop grocery in Alton [canned goods, dry goods, milk, eggs, deli, VHS rental, clothing, beer], and Old Town trading post in Old Town [fishing gear / bait, firearms /ammo, waders, mosquito jackets, and for anyone who decides they want to weight and tag their deer/moose/bear they are a weight station too].

We are close to Bangor/Brewer/Orono, so for hardware or whatever else it is easy for us to go into one of those cities.

[shadowfax1997]

I like the idea of a small convenience store, but not sure what town. I do know that can be very successful but can be all consuming. It would need to be a town with enough people around to support it and not too much competition. I also like hardware stores, and it seems it too could be a successful business. My brother and I ran a video editing business for a few years out of his house, and that business was all internet based customers who mailed projects to us.

Curious though - why pass on southern maine? This is the part of the state with the highest population density, thus perhaps easier to make a successful business.

I would also suspect it would be easier to create a successful business doing something that you really like, so fishing for ideas here seems odd. Why not take what you like and are good at and make that into a business?

[Submariner]

Some friends own a small grocery / restaurant in a neighboring town [well okay across the river and one town away]. It is the only storefront in their town.

There does not seem to be enough traffic to support a restaurant, or a grocery, individually.

They combine both functions. 4 booths and maybe 8 stools at the counter serving breakfast and lunch. and a small grocery store. It keeps them busy, and they employ a couple part-time helpers.

They need an outside income to support themselves though.

[msina]

Here we are sorely missing our hardware store. We had a great True Value that seemed to have everything before being lost in a fire. Funds have recently been secured to replace the lost buildings but, it remains to be seen what businesses will choose to locate there when the construction has been accomplished.

[RANGER.101ST]

i would like to see a COFFEE SHOParound here

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Coffee shops are great for consumers, but the store owners ends up with a bunch of locals hanging out there with not much cash flow.

[msina]

Could we have an "Amsterdam" style coffee shop? Please?