Have you taken a walk along Beach Blvd lately? There are some exciting things happening. J's is celebrating it's second month of being in business, Mangia is getting ready for their soft opening on Saturday's Artwalk. This is great for our city. But what about the empty spaces we still see around the area? The sudden changes in ownership or the closing down of one section of an establishment.
As an accountant in my earlier years of business I understand that for any business to survive there needs to be positive cash flow. The only way to ensure that criteria is met, is to have customers who visit your business but more importantly make a purchase. In the case of a restaurant, you better make sure your prices are right and you give your patron's a reason to return.
As a creative enthusiast who always likes to try new things I often find myself day dreaming about what new business venture I could start (or encourage someone else to start) and fill up those empty spaces. I am sure that this is how most new business concepts are born.
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What I would like to see 'us' do as a City is invite current business owners, commercial landlords and our three organizations (Chamber, Gulfport Merchants and SO49) to an informal brainstorming session where we can focus on:
what type of business is missing in Gulfport
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how can we encourage this type of business to invest in our City
create a questionnaire for potential new businesses to complete so that they have an understanding of what it means to have a business in Gulfport. If we can help them prepare for doing business here, they have a greater chance of surviving.
When our empty spaces are all full, the City looks like it is thriving and people will want to visit and re-visit.
I am not suggesting that my proposal is complete and it is probably lacking in some regard, but who knows our City better than the business owners that are already here. Using their knowledge and skills we can create a platform that new businesses entering our City can work from. In this way I believe we can reduce the number of empty spaces while at the same time keeping the new businesses in business for longer.
I am open to feedback, questions and support. In an effort to keep this issue moving forward though, please refrain from anonymity. This way we can speak openly and make changes for the better.