Builders & developers (Pillagers&Blights)
- Thread starter Hessian
- Start date
I have been reading the posts in this forum for a few days and have started many times to post a reply myself only to get frustrated and delete it. Well here goes.
Lilly, the rents at these centers are not high or at least not as high as they once were. CVS needed more space and room for a drive up window. The rates at San Souci are some of the lowest in the area and the developer is more than wiliing to work with the shop owner. Its not that Can't Stop the Music couldn't afford the rent.... it was the fact that the customers that they had now shop at WalMart/Target. The small restaurants are being knocked out by the big franchises. If you check O Brians Realty commercial page, you will find that there are 8 or more restaurants up for sale in this area.
The saddest thing of all is that the small Mom & Pop stores can't compete with the big chains like WalMart/Target. When it is cheaper for a store owner to go to WalMart a purchase a product than buy it from a distributor something is wrong.
Jazz lady you should go by the Movie Theater on a Friday/Saturday night. They might not be doing as well as the theaters in Waldorf but they are holding their own.
This county is going to wind up being the Super Market, Convienence Store center for the state. How many stores do WaWa and Sheetz need in this county? Next WaWa will be at the corner of Rt4 & 235. Bye Bye Western Steer. Mr Bursch was smart to sell off a couple stores and so was Dash In.
Do you realize that everyone ran to WaWa and Sheetz because their gas prices were so good?(lol) On a 20 gal tank with an average savings of .04 works out to be an .80 cent savings. Well break the bank!! I will get my gas at the Leonardtown Service Center were the service is great and the OWNERS of the store go out of their way to make me feel welcome.
The small businessman doesn't stand a chance in this county..... even the Economical Development Dept is more interested in giving a hand to the larger contractors/businesses than the Mom & Pops.
Do you people realize that stores like Belks or Pennys or other major chains might only pay $6.00 a square foot for rent and the small business has to pat $15.00 and up for their space. Anchor stores get away with everything. From what I understand now, Belks pays no rent until the Super Market space is full and some stores have had their rent discounted. That is everyone BUT the small business.
I refuse to shop at Wal Mart, Target and so does the rest of my family. I will NOT pay $5.00 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks. By the way, the owner of that strip center will not even take a small Mom & Pop business in his center.....he only wants national names in his center that can pay a rent of $20.00/ft and up. Gee,,, guess I won't be getting my eyes checked at his store.
You, yes all of you, have to start supporting the small local businesses. We have to tell our County Comminioners to STOP this crazy building. Most of these large companies get tax breaks to come into an area. We still have to carry the bulk of the taxes for the local services.
The more people bowl the easier it will be for Dave to fix the broken bowling lanes. The more people go to the movies, the better the selection will be there. The more people go to the local business, owned and operated by local people, the less empty spaces you will see at these centers.
Lilly, the rents at these centers are not high or at least not as high as they once were. CVS needed more space and room for a drive up window. The rates at San Souci are some of the lowest in the area and the developer is more than wiliing to work with the shop owner. Its not that Can't Stop the Music couldn't afford the rent.... it was the fact that the customers that they had now shop at WalMart/Target. The small restaurants are being knocked out by the big franchises. If you check O Brians Realty commercial page, you will find that there are 8 or more restaurants up for sale in this area.
The saddest thing of all is that the small Mom & Pop stores can't compete with the big chains like WalMart/Target. When it is cheaper for a store owner to go to WalMart a purchase a product than buy it from a distributor something is wrong.
Jazz lady you should go by the Movie Theater on a Friday/Saturday night. They might not be doing as well as the theaters in Waldorf but they are holding their own.
This county is going to wind up being the Super Market, Convienence Store center for the state. How many stores do WaWa and Sheetz need in this county? Next WaWa will be at the corner of Rt4 & 235. Bye Bye Western Steer. Mr Bursch was smart to sell off a couple stores and so was Dash In.
Do you realize that everyone ran to WaWa and Sheetz because their gas prices were so good?(lol) On a 20 gal tank with an average savings of .04 works out to be an .80 cent savings. Well break the bank!! I will get my gas at the Leonardtown Service Center were the service is great and the OWNERS of the store go out of their way to make me feel welcome.
The small businessman doesn't stand a chance in this county..... even the Economical Development Dept is more interested in giving a hand to the larger contractors/businesses than the Mom & Pops.
Do you people realize that stores like Belks or Pennys or other major chains might only pay $6.00 a square foot for rent and the small business has to pat $15.00 and up for their space. Anchor stores get away with everything. From what I understand now, Belks pays no rent until the Super Market space is full and some stores have had their rent discounted. That is everyone BUT the small business.
I refuse to shop at Wal Mart, Target and so does the rest of my family. I will NOT pay $5.00 for a cup of coffee at Starbucks. By the way, the owner of that strip center will not even take a small Mom & Pop business in his center.....he only wants national names in his center that can pay a rent of $20.00/ft and up. Gee,,, guess I won't be getting my eyes checked at his store.
You, yes all of you, have to start supporting the small local businesses. We have to tell our County Comminioners to STOP this crazy building. Most of these large companies get tax breaks to come into an area. We still have to carry the bulk of the taxes for the local services.
The more people bowl the easier it will be for Dave to fix the broken bowling lanes. The more people go to the movies, the better the selection will be there. The more people go to the local business, owned and operated by local people, the less empty spaces you will see at these centers.
Hessian
Well-Known Member
Can I tie these two topics closer together?
HB Truman was a decades old hardware store...locally owned, hiring dozens of people, a couple of lots...up until the early 90's.
Want to know what killed it? It wasn't Wally mart...It was contractors:
A bunch had run up huge credit tabs and then quit paying. Lawsuits followed to try to reclaim their losses: They got maybe 12 cents on the dollar lost. Hence bankruptcy. Another sample of the trustworthyness of builders...while they bury their trash on their lots, make dozens of other cost cuts, while selling in a booming area: They refuse to pay their bills to a long term family operation.
How many other shops have been hit by this white collar version of theft?
I'm open to hear other tales of Builder theft:
HB Truman was a decades old hardware store...locally owned, hiring dozens of people, a couple of lots...up until the early 90's.
Want to know what killed it? It wasn't Wally mart...It was contractors:
A bunch had run up huge credit tabs and then quit paying. Lawsuits followed to try to reclaim their losses: They got maybe 12 cents on the dollar lost. Hence bankruptcy. Another sample of the trustworthyness of builders...while they bury their trash on their lots, make dozens of other cost cuts, while selling in a booming area: They refuse to pay their bills to a long term family operation.
How many other shops have been hit by this white collar version of theft?
I'm open to hear other tales of Builder theft:
Chuckster - I was not inferring that the movie theaters do a brisk business on certain nights. But how many families can afford $40-$50 or more for a night out at the movies when they can rent several movies for less than ten bucks, have popcorn for less than a dollar, and watch it all in the comfort of their own home in a home theater? Costs have gone through the roof, but I know it's not all the fault of the business owner - the costs they pass on to us are in general caused by big price increases in the chain and an increased cost in doing business.
I'm also a small business owner and know how these big chain stores impact the local "Mom-and-Pop" businesses - I miss the diversity that once was Lexington Park - places like The Elephants Trunk and The Cabbage Patch come to mind if any one else remembers them. How do we compete against big business? We don't - we find a niche and fill it. I can't sell my merchandise cheaper than Wal-Mart, but they can't offer the selection or specialized services we do. Sad but true - the Wal-Mart's and Microsoft's of the world are taking over.
Chuckster,
I did a quick search for the O'Brien Realty commercial site and can't find it, what is it? I am curious about the 8 restaurants for sale. As for no decent restaurants in the area, I can name several off the top of my head:
Dry Dock, Tavern at the Village, Spinnakers, Nook & Monks, Cafe Des Artistes, Clarke's Landing, Oakwood Lodge, Brome-Howard Inn... just to name a few...... I for one prefer not to eat at the chains for a nice dinner out.
Anyone else have any suggestions?
I did a quick search for the O'Brien Realty commercial site and can't find it, what is it? I am curious about the 8 restaurants for sale. As for no decent restaurants in the area, I can name several off the top of my head:
Dry Dock, Tavern at the Village, Spinnakers, Nook & Monks, Cafe Des Artistes, Clarke's Landing, Oakwood Lodge, Brome-Howard Inn... just to name a few...... I for one prefer not to eat at the chains for a nice dinner out.
Anyone else have any suggestions?
Now that it is a new day and I have calmed down, let me try this again.
Hessian. I agree that some of the builders in this area do shadey things and charge an arm and a leg for crap building. My wife and I received a letter from a sub-contractor on our new house that he was going to pull our well pump and take us to court for nonpayment, when in reality we paid the builder 3 months earlier!!! The builder had used the money from our house for something else. Boy do I have some stories about this builder and the mortage company he teamed with on this deal.
Jazz lady it is OUR fault that the prices for movies and sporting events have gone through the roof. WE, by supporting these things, have let the movie stars and sports people demand such high salaries for what they do. "It's the American way" doesn't hold water when you have the cast of "Friends" demanding $1,000,000per/show or a baseball player earning 25,000,000 over 5 years or even the great Ophra earning over $70,000,000 a year and we have Americans living in the streets in boxes. Look at the advertising cost for a 30 sec spot on the Super Bowl. How many families could we feed with that?
Finding a niche is a great idea and my wife and I have done that with the two businesses that we have. The best way to compete with the big chains is to not support them as my wife and I have done. I do not beleive that Sam Walton had it in his plan to CRUSH the smaller guy out of business.
Star Buck it is a fact of life that some businesses are going to fail in the first 3 to 5 years of business. Some of that is because the business is under capitalized and some is because the owner didn't do his homework. Another part is the fact that SBA makes you jump through so many hoops that at some point you have to just walk away and look for another way. The Economical Development Boards seem to only want to help the BIG business who don't really need the help.
As far as the restaurants are concerned... There are still some very nice locally owned restaurants in this area and they are doing well. The problem is that it is hard for them to compete against the chains with the wages and benefits that the chains can offer due to their size and sales. I bet Linda's Cafe can't pay thier cooks over $10.00 per hour. Plus the same food that the smaller guy buys from his distributor the chain gets cheaper JUST BECUSE he is a chain account.
The shopping center in Calloway was not a dumb move. It was thought out and planned that way. Guess you don't know that Peggs Rd is going to run right past that side of the shopping center so it will be facing a major road. That puts the A&W right on the corner with a light. There is also two other pad sites there for another restaurant and a bank.
Sheetz and WaWa do a good job at what they do. But how many of these things do we need in this county?
I am not trying to suggest that Belks or Pennys is going to put the small busineesman out. What I am saying is that it is unfair to charge these big guys $6.00/ft and the small Mom & Pop $20.00/ft in the same center. That is where the problem is.
Red Rose I will get you the exact location of the virtual web site to see these restaurants. Once again, I love all those restaurant that you name and I never suggested that there are no decent restaurants in this area. If I came across that way I apologize.
I hope that the plan for Lexington Park does happen and more small businesses open there. It would be nice to have that "Town Center" feeling somewhere else in the county. I think that Leonardtown is great!
Hessian. I agree that some of the builders in this area do shadey things and charge an arm and a leg for crap building. My wife and I received a letter from a sub-contractor on our new house that he was going to pull our well pump and take us to court for nonpayment, when in reality we paid the builder 3 months earlier!!! The builder had used the money from our house for something else. Boy do I have some stories about this builder and the mortage company he teamed with on this deal.
Jazz lady it is OUR fault that the prices for movies and sporting events have gone through the roof. WE, by supporting these things, have let the movie stars and sports people demand such high salaries for what they do. "It's the American way" doesn't hold water when you have the cast of "Friends" demanding $1,000,000per/show or a baseball player earning 25,000,000 over 5 years or even the great Ophra earning over $70,000,000 a year and we have Americans living in the streets in boxes. Look at the advertising cost for a 30 sec spot on the Super Bowl. How many families could we feed with that?
Finding a niche is a great idea and my wife and I have done that with the two businesses that we have. The best way to compete with the big chains is to not support them as my wife and I have done. I do not beleive that Sam Walton had it in his plan to CRUSH the smaller guy out of business.
Star Buck it is a fact of life that some businesses are going to fail in the first 3 to 5 years of business. Some of that is because the business is under capitalized and some is because the owner didn't do his homework. Another part is the fact that SBA makes you jump through so many hoops that at some point you have to just walk away and look for another way. The Economical Development Boards seem to only want to help the BIG business who don't really need the help.
As far as the restaurants are concerned... There are still some very nice locally owned restaurants in this area and they are doing well. The problem is that it is hard for them to compete against the chains with the wages and benefits that the chains can offer due to their size and sales. I bet Linda's Cafe can't pay thier cooks over $10.00 per hour. Plus the same food that the smaller guy buys from his distributor the chain gets cheaper JUST BECUSE he is a chain account.
The shopping center in Calloway was not a dumb move. It was thought out and planned that way. Guess you don't know that Peggs Rd is going to run right past that side of the shopping center so it will be facing a major road. That puts the A&W right on the corner with a light. There is also two other pad sites there for another restaurant and a bank.
Sheetz and WaWa do a good job at what they do. But how many of these things do we need in this county?
I am not trying to suggest that Belks or Pennys is going to put the small busineesman out. What I am saying is that it is unfair to charge these big guys $6.00/ft and the small Mom & Pop $20.00/ft in the same center. That is where the problem is.
Red Rose I will get you the exact location of the virtual web site to see these restaurants. Once again, I love all those restaurant that you name and I never suggested that there are no decent restaurants in this area. If I came across that way I apologize.
I hope that the plan for Lexington Park does happen and more small businesses open there. It would be nice to have that "Town Center" feeling somewhere else in the county. I think that Leonardtown is great!
Lilly
The Original Lilly
Sorry if I had the wrong information Chuckster. I didn't mean to wrongly prosecute anybody. I was simply going on a conversation I had with friends who used to help manage a now-defunct restaurant in the San Souci plaza. According to the owner business was great when they first opened up and they had the "new-restaurant rush" that Monteray is experiencing right now. Supposedly after business died down to a regular and steady roll they were still doing fine. Until thier rent was raised - and then again. With business staying the same and thier rental expenses growing - this small "mom & pop" restaurant found it hard to deal with thier rapidly decreasing profits. Eventually it became difficult for them to manage thier store at all and they requested from the property manager to lower thier rent so that they could recover. Thier requests were refused and they went out of business.
You are right - I do not know if this is what happened with the other now-gone stores in that plaza- this is just what I have heard.
I do agree with you on many points however. I have other friends who owned a small hardware store and were put out of business by Lowes. I agree that if we don't want to see our small business disapear than we need to support them more. While I think it is admirable that you have boycotted the large businesses me and my family can't afford to. Unfortunately it is a side effect of all that you mentioned that I can't help but shop at the WalMarts and KMarts and Target (my favorite) because I can't afford to buy my kids clothes in the other shops.
I like the availability of the store where everything I need is all in one place. That is what American's demand - Practicality and convienance. We want the all-in-one shopping center - one-stop place like McKays or Walmart. Where we can get Junior new shoes, an oil filter for the old clunker, our prescription filled, pick up our contacts or eyeglasses, drop off our film, grab toilet paper and even milk and bread without getting in and out of our car over and over again. As long as this is the kind of superstore that we demand this is what the developers will keep building. And I for one am too used to it to give it up completely.
The small businesses I vist are the gift shoppes, the restaurants, the auto shops and the specialty stores (ski shops and such). WalMart and KMart have no impact on my choice to shop there. They simply have a better selection, better food and better service. As long as a small business gives me the reason to shop with them I will. But it has got to be a good enough reason to make me make 1 extra stop. If not my $$ goes to the convienance store. My time is as valuable as my $$ if not more so.
SxyPrincess
New Member
Star,
In reality you can get food poisoning from any restaurant. It just so happened to be Olive Garden for your brother.
I can tell you, I've been dozens of times to the one in Waldorf. The service and food has always been excellent.
Has anyone tried La Tolteca in Waldorf, off 301? The food is really good however, the service is a bit sloooooooow.
In reality you can get food poisoning from any restaurant. It just so happened to be Olive Garden for your brother.
I can tell you, I've been dozens of times to the one in Waldorf. The service and food has always been excellent.
Has anyone tried La Tolteca in Waldorf, off 301? The food is really good however, the service is a bit sloooooooow.
Lilly
The Original Lilly
Linda's is definately one of my faves, so is Nicolletti's and Monteray. I have found Oakwood Lodge to be a bit expensive and the food a bit dissapointing. Same with Nook & Monk's, food was good but not worth as much as I paid. One restaurant I used to love is Evan's Seafood on St. George's Island. But it seems to have gone downhill since about 6 years back. Heard it was under new management - no longer Evan's family - could be the reason.
SxyPrincess
New Member
I saw the reviews, which was my reason for giving it a try. Those people must have been on crack. I can name more bad than good with that place.
SxyPrincess
New Member
I love Evans! It was great--I couldn't count the number of dishes they brought out to us! I don't think I ate the week following.
SxyPrincess
New Member
Has anyone tried the Crab Boat? It looks beautiful after they remodeled...I've just never been in there.
PmoneyandTT
New Member
Well referring back to entertainment.. Maybe 3-5 years ago - there wasn't much interest in alot of things. Well the housing development sure has boomed. So that means there are families with children.. I am not blind I see alot of young people out and about - and yes the skating ring I take my kids too - there is a cop that actually works inside and outside the ring.. So you don't have a problem there.. I lived up north for 15 years before moving down in St Marys. There were alot more young people - and alot more crime - but they seem to have it under control when having public entertainment spots.. The military has moved in Navair has moved in.. Im sure there is at least 30% more people living down there then last year... I have been to the movies on a weekend.. Not to bad. The price - well Go to virginia or somewhere else close by DC - your going to pay $8-10 bucks for a movie.. Thats why I don't take my kids - we blockbuster for their movies - or go to a matinee.. The Federal government workers down in St. Mary's is getting the same salary as DC federal workers.. I hate driving up to DC just for entertainment.. I would rather spend my money locally..
Business is cut throat you either sink or swim.. The whole plan is to put all the small business out of business - so the Walmarts can take over.. Its not only in this county - its all over the USA.. Walmart is Monoplies everywhere.. Is there a solution? Probably not.. They tell us - we people have a vote.. But if many people on this forum feel this way about things - Im sure there are alot more that feel that exact same way.. HOw come they aren't listening to you all?
Just for FYI - I do shop at walmart and target.. I love the mom and pop stores - but its unfortunate we live in a time where people want everything fast - and easy - and don't have time to smell the roses..
Business is cut throat you either sink or swim.. The whole plan is to put all the small business out of business - so the Walmarts can take over.. Its not only in this county - its all over the USA.. Walmart is Monoplies everywhere.. Is there a solution? Probably not.. They tell us - we people have a vote.. But if many people on this forum feel this way about things - Im sure there are alot more that feel that exact same way.. HOw come they aren't listening to you all?
Just for FYI - I do shop at walmart and target.. I love the mom and pop stores - but its unfortunate we live in a time where people want everything fast - and easy - and don't have time to smell the roses..
Hessian
Well-Known Member
Swing by the Public Library in Prince Frederick...
They are "celebrating" a $3,000,000 allotment for a new Library...that will be built in a plaza (what else) opposit the hospital in PF. And oh whooppie! They are building a grocery store too with strip mall stores.
HELLO!!!!McFly!!!Anybody in there?
We have two ailing plaza's that have numerous empty stores...one even burned months ago and they still haven't pulled down the police tape!!!
We have an empty A&P plaza. I can't imagine what goes on in the heads of these Greedy planners. Can they be real people? Do they have eyes to see the wasteland they are creating? Will the public have any say in this?
We deserve to have the whole mess flattened in a hurricane and litigation prevent rebuilding for years.
Screw you builders.
They are "celebrating" a $3,000,000 allotment for a new Library...that will be built in a plaza (what else) opposit the hospital in PF. And oh whooppie! They are building a grocery store too with strip mall stores.
HELLO!!!!McFly!!!Anybody in there?
We have two ailing plaza's that have numerous empty stores...one even burned months ago and they still haven't pulled down the police tape!!!
We have an empty A&P plaza. I can't imagine what goes on in the heads of these Greedy planners. Can they be real people? Do they have eyes to see the wasteland they are creating? Will the public have any say in this?
We deserve to have the whole mess flattened in a hurricane and litigation prevent rebuilding for years.
Screw you builders.
I don't believe it. (j/k) Traffic in PF is bad enough in the afternoons, almost like Lex. Pk. Whatever happened to the PF bypass they were gonna make?...and how they were gonna redo the Safeway store? Another strip mall--you've got to be kidding.