How did you choose the location for your business? 🏬

[isabelle]

Hey Seller Community 👋 

Today's question is...

How did you choose the location for your business? Was it for commuting purposes? Is it centrally located?

If you don't have a brick and mortar, feel free to share why your business does best online! 

I look forward to reading your replies ✨

[Janettem316]

Safe area was my number one, second was cost and third was landlord flexibility. 

[LeslieShelor]

Location, location, location. I started out in this building in 2005 after coaxing the owner to rent it to me. I was here 6 years and did well, but then both my landlord and my partner died and the landlord's wife didn't want to continue with the lease. I bounced around in the area in different places for several years, doing OK but not nearly as well at this location. A new owner came in and I rented from him, starting in 2019 and then he decided to sell it to me. We're just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in a small community where I've lived most of my life so this was the right choice for me. I can walk to work, which is an added bonus.

[aarontw]

Great story here! I am glad that after losing the location, it turned around and came all the way back to you. Walking to work is a huge bonus too, congratulations!

[photogym]

When we were first starting out, our main consideration was cost in a specific location. We wanted to be in our downtown area as we believed the foot traffic would encourage more people to come in and learn about our business. After two years we had outgrown the space we were in and moved to a higher traffic part of town. It was the absolute best decision we made, we tripled our revenue in the first year. The most important thing, we now believe, is a highly visible sign on a busy throughway that is easy to get in and out of.

[DreamsGoalsLife]

I chose an online business, it's worldwide, is doing great even during the pandemic, I can help others and I don't pay for brick and mortar leasing/mortgage. I don't pay for employees doing business as myself and it's so great being a part of a 64 billion dollar industry in the Personal Development field. I am still new to Personal Development, but I learn more every day and the positive impact I get from it, is just outstanding. 

[Doran]

For me, I really needed better parking for customers.  At my last two locations parking was the number one complaint so when found this place with a parking lot and it was right downtown I knew it was perfect.  

[salcommunity5]

i had a great location for jerusalems restaurant but  we where forced to move for a new development , after 2 .5 years  we decided to reopen ,  this location came a long its not too far from my old place ,, its in downtown minneapolis , i was hoping it will do as well as the old location but its still too  early to predict ,, hope its a good move we just have to wait and see..

[Shreds_Connor]

The owner of our store chose our location because there was a drive thru which if we are able to get our speeds up will be a great asset! 

[DNDent]

  Ok this will be fun. I made a mistake and fell into this whole business thing actually. Well, in a good way thankfully that it turned out as such so far. I found myself looking at really cheap Jewelry online from over seas suppliers of coarse, with my girlfriend one night......every guys dream night right? So, I ,started wandering around looking at ALL THIS STUFF...that's when the tattoo supplies hit my screen and instantly I wanted more Tattoos.....  Well being broke and during a global pandemic where there's not a lot of welding jobs or hotrods being built to fix I turned to My talents in art. I started meeting people in the area just going out shopping locally and on social media where i was selling a lot of stuff for my Mother. I turned really overwhelming very quickly.....but long story short , my girlfriend stepped up and jumped in to help battle the craziness that turned my phone and laptop in to glowing Gods at night not yeilding to our lack of rest and ill at ease feelings we shared...S finally we are just getting to beccoming a real business, as we move mobily yo your location and tattoo you at the samme while adorning you and yours with modern fashions from around the ewiorld.  hopefully sqquare will help us within this battle and my typos...

[Helen]

Thank you for sharing a bit about the journey so far, and for choosing Square! 

[sandraaulds]

Hi Isabelle,

I chose my home for now, since Covid has limited outdoor activity. I want to choose a store and have been looking next to vitamin shoppes, whole foods earth faire. This is mainly because my products will compliment theirs. 

However the last time I put I was LBGTQ Friendly my house, car and yard were vandalized. I also came out as a brown person of color. This was also met with violence and destruction. 

So when I open my shop I will not be able to put either of these down. I came out at work recently (my bread & butter job) and I have met the same retaliatory issues there. I doubt I will be there much longer, they are bullying me and making it hard to work.

[isabelle]

Wow @sandraaulds - I am so sorry to hear that happened to your business. 

I want you to know that the Community and our Pride in Business: LGBTQ+ group is here for support. Thank you for sharing 😞 

[cprsafety]

Traffic, visibility, neighbors.

[lilmadcafe]

When we first opened our doors in 2005 my Dad choose a location based on lunch traffic while he was on break from his then school bus job. It was more of a jump in without research. the location itself failed so we went mobile until 2019. When my wife & I moved to a small town by big State Parks. Is seemed like a nice downtown area so we opened our new location with semi Full service. or Quick service restaurant, Creperie & Bakery. It just reminds me of a Hallmark kind a town. the community is very supportive especially during this pandemic. So being on 1st street in a small town is a big deal. people  in the area and the tourism. we get over 2 million visitors every year to our state parks. And because we are a bakery as well we have the holiday season with pies and breads. Our town has a huge Light show for the holidays as well that's free. So this helps a lot too. Get to know the area first. then meet the locals because that is where your year round business will come from.

[PerkyCup]

lilmadcafe,

Thank you for sharing your story.  I am curious about your description " semi Full service. or Quick service restaurant, Creperie & Bakery".  I have owned a Cafe/Coffee shop for 2.5 years.  We started with counter service only and have begun to shift to table delivery of food.  It "kinda" works, but feels like we could increase volume if we better-managed counter/table service.  Would you describe what works for you?

[tranquilheart6]

I am online only.  I chose this route because I have 8 years until I retire from my full-time profession, and I want to build my customer base until then.  For this nutrition company in my area, I am 1 of 2 mobile businesses.  That makes it easier to gain customers because nutrition stores in Georgia are expanding, but not at the rate that can keep up with customers' needs.  My business helps with that.

[yourcbdhaven]

Location is 10 minutes from my home, in a vibrant shopping center, next to a Starbucks and Kale Me Crazy, a popular franchised health food cafe.  My neighboring tenants were an important factor as I knew my retail store - Your CBD Haven - would benefit from foot traffic from their customer base.   Also, my store backs up to a very busy road that attracts attention and draws in traffic.  The space itself was appealing as it is large enough to host educational, social, community and alliance partner events in-store - all key to creating awareness and promoting education about CBD and my store among locals.   Both our space and location are important for creating events that establish and build relationships among our local community.  

[wildfarm]

We started our winery in our house and not too long after we started, our old 1911 dairy barn became available so we remodeled and moved our winy to our barn.  Otherwise we would have put up a Morton building. 

[MJsCloset]

Our business was strictly online for 5 years.  We planned to move to a brick and mortar location in our hometown.  Our criteria was to be in the pedestrian side of our historic downtown with high visibility, safe, affordable rent and plentiful parking.  We opened a second business a block away with the same criteria.   We continue with both our online businesses and our brick and mortar.   The online businesses serve a market that is different from our small community so they compliment one another well.

[Nickster81]

From home