Clean Bean

cleanbean, originally uploaded by jahansell.

A young woman I know bought the laundromat last year as an investment opportunity. It's another fairly stable business, I guess! She renamed it, spruced it up inside, and it continues to be an important part of the plaza.

I admire the entrepreneurial instinct. I have often wondered if I would enjoy running a business. Many of the skills I've developed over the years running a non-profit organization would apply, of course - but what kind of business should it be? And where on earth would I get the money it takes to purchase or lease the property, renovate and stock a store? I don't know how people do it - family money? investors? small business loans?

The other thing I wonder about the new startup businesses I see is, how good do their projections and market research have to be to get someone to invest or lend them money? I've seen SO many businesses come and go in Millerton - little gift shops, antique shops, housewares shops - all variants of the same idea, which seems to be: "I love beautiful things. I'm good at picking them out, everyone says so. I'd love to have a store like this, and surely everyone else will love it too."

Hopefully it's all a little more sophisticated than that, but considering how many shops open and close within a year, I wonder! Not the laundromat, though - that will always be around!