And  another goes away

chuckster

IMFUBARED
Sorry to say, but Sweet Surprises on Great Mills Rd is gone. It's sad to see these small businesses just go away. Becky worked so hard for so long just to see it all go.
Bowes Books is still closed for inventory ... been 3 or 4 weeks. Wonder if they will open back up.
 

M Bucker

Member
Let's see, bad location, bad idea for a candy store somewhere where people would have to make a special trip just to get there.  Sweet Suprises was a disaster, the Suprise is that it lasted this long!!!!!!!
 

Sharon

* * * * * * * * *
Staff member
PREMO Member
:boo: Where will I buy marzipan?  I was in there less than a month ago and my husband ate the last piece yesterday.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
If Auntie Anne's was in San Souci Plaza, how many pretzels do you think they'd sell a day?  Specialty items are an impulse buy, not a destination point.  If Becky had been in a mall, she'd have made a fortune - who can resist walking into a candy store?  Especially since her displays were always so enticing and it always smelled so good in there.  The coffee guy at the mall stocks my favorite Orange Seville (that Becky got me hooked on, BTW) and I buy a ton of it from him.  But I'd never make a special trip just to get coffee.

When you go to the mall, it encourages walking through and seeing all the stuff in the windows, inviting you to go in and spend some bucks on impulse purchases that you might not normally have spent.  Elephant's Trunk is a great example - it's easy to pass it by when you're driving but if you were at a mall you'd almost certainly walk in to look at all the stuff they had.  And getting people in the door is 95% of the battle.

Shopping is a form of entertainment, otherwise everyone could just buy what they need online and forget the stores.  People go to the mall to kill some time and be entertained.  Nobody meanders through a  strip mall.  They just don't.

Chuckster, can I get a witness?  Or am I all wet?
 

tipsy mcgee

Always thirsty
Pick up any business book and one of the first things you learn is "location, location, location."  Some places can get by with being out of the way because their food is good enough, like crab houses, or because they are the only place that has certain things.  A candy store would be hard enough to keep above water in any setting, I think, much less an out of the way locale.
 

chuckster

IMFUBARED
I would love to be in the mall. However, like most new small business, money becomes an issue. We looked at a space in the Food Court at the mall..... the cost was over $47,000. a year plus CAM charges. I don't know about you but I don't have that kind of money to spend.
Becky was there for over 13 years and made a good living from her store. Once again, and I know that this will not fall on sympathetic ears, I have to beleive that it was the Big Box Stores that had a hand in this. It is also obvious that few in this forum have tried to open/operate their own business. They would rather take the safe path and work for the Boss Man who they constantly criticize. Being self employed is only for a few who like/want to take the chance. Remember, Sam Walton had to start with one store.
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
About mall rent:  Ain't that the truth!  You have to start out in the hole if you're a small business person anyway and sometimes big rents just aren't feasible.  But I don't see where the Big Box stores had a hand in running out Sweet Surprises, Elephant's Trunk, Bowe's Books or ANY of the little specialty stores.  I challenge you to try to find any of the items those stores carried at the Target or Wal-Mart.

I'll tell you what's cool - the Chesapeake Marketplace in St. Leonard.  Gobs of little specialty stores all in one mall-like setting.  The rent's affordable and it's a destination point for those wanting to while away a day.  I'd be curious how Becky, Mike & Linda or Mr. Bowes would do in a setting like that.

Is there some statute that says a bunch of small specialty shop owners can't get together in one location, similar to the Antique place in Leonardtown?
 

seasquirt

Vermicious Knid
I walked through the Chesapeake Marketplace a few weeks ago to see where the new saltwater fish store is opening up. Saltwater fish is a department that big box stores like Petsmart and Petco have not yet been able to dominate.
 

M Bucker

Member
I don't think the "Big Box" stores had anything to do with running sweet suprises out of business.  Are you telling me that it's their fault because they sell candy???  Well so does the grocery store and 7-11.  It was a horrible location.  You would have had no idea it was there unless you had prior knowledge of it.  It's off the road in a little hole, strangers driving down Great Mills Rd would never think to glance over that way.  I have NO sympathy for her.  I'm Suprised she lasted 13 years.  

As for opening your own business, it'd be nice to work for yourself and all that crap they try to sell you, but being a realist and knowing that a very high percentage of small businesses don't last more than a year makes me not want to go through the hassle.  
 

chuckster

IMFUBARED
vraiblonde, it would be nice to have a place like the Chesapeake Marketplace in St Mary's. But try do anything new with the Planning/Zoning Board and the Commissioners is almost impossible unless you have a boaload of time and money.
Yes, the Box stores are selling some of the items sold at the smaller stores. Cake supplies, candy supplies, books, bulk candy, cake pans, decorations, wedding decorations, balloons etc.
All I was saying is that they might have contributed to some of these stores closing.
M Bucker, I am sure that your lack of sympathy will be greatly missed by the owners of Sweet Surprises. You sound just like the person I wrote about a couple of posts back. If your attitude is what a realist is, I am glad to be an entrepreneur. I am also glad to see that my wife and daughter share the same entrepreneurial spirit. If we fail, so be it. Atleast we will not go through life wondering "What if...." Is it a hassle? No way! It has brought my family together.
 

M Bucker

Member
Chuckster,

Here is my argument for not wanting the hassle of owning my own business.  I'm very active and I get bored very easily.  I like taking trips, I like getting outdoors, I like playing sports.  I'm very selfish with my time.  If I had my own business I would not trust anyone else to be there more than myself and that would take away from my personal time.  I wouldn't be able to take my boat out as much as I like, stuff like that.  That's why I don't have kids, I don't feel like I'd be responsible at this point in my life  (I'm also too young).   I appreciate your passion for your paticular choice but because it's not my choice don't say I'm not willing to take chances.  (That's what the stock market is for, hahaha).

As for Sweet Suprises I have to come clean.  I have a personal issue with the owner and her family.  That is why I am happy they went under.  It may be cruel....no, it is, but let's just say it's a money issue (not a small amount either).   Don't think I'm evil because of it though.  
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Well, at least we now know where you're coming from.  And I'm a business owner and I LOVE IT!  But you're right - it's not for everyone.
 

alex

Member
I am very sorry to hear of the closing of Sweet Surprises. Where will my husband get my Valentine Candy now? :bawl: They had the best selection of dark chocolate candy I have ever seen
 

Gunn317

Member
I'll correct you becuase you are wrong StarBuck. Conspiracy? Please. I was just pointing out that the commissioners gave in to a deal to finally end the lawsuit. The owner of First Colony pledged to build a pool with their own money, *if* they could put a BJ Warehouse on that corner of their lot.

No conspiracy..it was in the paper; I read it. I was simply stating that our commissioners gave in.

And as far as the the fact that someone brought up there was no interest in signing a deal to open a movie theater....thats was also in the paper and it was true. However, that sentence came from the developers of the property, not from some 3rd party. They said what they wanted, to persuade the commisioners to let them have it their way. In the end, they did get what they wanted.

There is a demand for a good movie theater here; just read that thread again. No one said the current one was just fine. For the money, it plain and simply sucks.

And another point; that corner of First Colony was actually designated to be for an entertainment center...no necessarily a theatre. BJ Warehouse is definitely not entertainment!
 

vraiblonde

Board Mommy
PREMO Member
Patron
Sorry to say, but Sweet Surprises on Great Mills Rd is gone. It's sad to see these small businesses just go away. Becky worked so hard for so long just to see it all go.

Let us not feel too sorry for Becky because she lives in paradise and is enjoying her life every single day. :lol: As she herself says, "It never gets old..."

(And yes, I know this thread is way old and has been bumped for some reason.)
 

GURPS

INGSOC
PREMO Member
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