Comments on: ‘Useful’ is a Sight to Behold http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/10/15/useful-is-a-sight-to-behold/ The View From Connecticut's Northwest Corner Sat, 22 Nov 2008 06:08:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Fred Baumgarten http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/10/15/useful-is-a-sight-to-behold/#comment-837 Fred Baumgarten Tue, 17 Oct 2006 14:50:25 +0000 http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/10/15/useful-is-a-sight-to-behold/#comment-837 As the father of two young children, all I can say is that we can't imagine life without Kids' Time and pray to the gods of commerce that it will have a good, long life!! There is a somewhat similar place in New Milford, but at least a half-hour farther from us and not nearly as nice. The owners of Kids' Time have been absolutely terrific about keeping their place sparkling clean and new-looking. We thank them most sincerely! --Fred-- As the father of two young children, all I can say is that we can’t imagine life without Kids’ Time and pray to the gods of commerce that it will have a good, long life!!

There is a somewhat similar place in New Milford, but at least a half-hour farther from us and not nearly as nice. The owners of Kids’ Time have been absolutely terrific about keeping their place sparkling clean and new-looking. We thank them most sincerely!

–Fred–

]]> By: Judy Jacobs http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/10/15/useful-is-a-sight-to-behold/#comment-832 Judy Jacobs Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:06:02 +0000 http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/10/15/useful-is-a-sight-to-behold/#comment-832 My husband and I have a 'useful' type of business, an auto repair shop. My husband is the third generation to run this business which his grandfather started in 1930. We work on a variety of vehicles owned mostly by local residents and are always very busy. But, over the past 10 years or so, we have had a few people who had recently moved here from NYC, recommend to us that we only work on luxury cars instead of the good old everyday type of vehicle. Their reason behind this recommendation? It would look better to have expensive cars in our lot and improve the appearance of the downtown area. Somehow I don't think that our lot is that important to the person who's car is broken down and they need to get to work right away! Their satisfaction & returned patronage is much more important to us than tweaking the engine of someone's toy Jag. I really worry sometimes on the direction our area is taking! My husband and I have a ‘useful’ type of business, an auto repair shop. My husband is the third generation to run this business which his grandfather started in 1930. We work on a variety of vehicles owned mostly by local residents and are always very busy. But, over the past 10 years or so, we have had a few people who had recently moved here from NYC, recommend to us that we only work on luxury cars instead of the good old everyday type of vehicle. Their reason behind this recommendation? It would look better to have expensive cars in our lot and improve the appearance of the downtown area. Somehow I don’t think that our lot is that important to the person who’s car is broken down and they need to get to work right away! Their satisfaction & returned patronage is much more important to us than tweaking the engine of someone’s toy Jag. I really worry sometimes on the direction our area is taking!

]]> By: Tom Shachtman http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/10/15/useful-is-a-sight-to-behold/#comment-827 Tom Shachtman Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:39:52 +0000 http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/10/15/useful-is-a-sight-to-behold/#comment-827 As I learned in NYC -- see my book, AROUND THE BLOCK, a study of small businesses in a single block in Manhattan -- useful businesses can only take root when real estate prices/rents have not made it impossible for such businesses to offer goods and services at prices that most customers can afford. Your restaurant will only offer a $25 entree if a) they're seeking a deep pocket clientele, or b) they have to do so in order to cover an overhead that has high RE costs, or c) everybody else in town has $25 entrees. The key to more useful businesses is ownership of the real estate by the business, if they can possibly afford it, a tax structure that gives breaks to businesses, and town and county development people who can help in various ways. If we don't want to Hamptonize, we have to make things amenable for useful businesses. As I learned in NYC — see my book, AROUND THE BLOCK, a study of small businesses in a single block in Manhattan — useful businesses can only take root when real estate prices/rents have not made it impossible for such businesses to offer goods and services at prices that most customers can afford. Your restaurant will only offer
a $25 entree if a) they’re seeking a deep pocket clientele, or b) they have to do so in order to cover an overhead that has high RE costs, or c) everybody else in town has $25 entrees.
The key to more useful businesses is ownership of the real estate by the business, if they can possibly afford it, a tax structure that gives breaks to businesses, and town and county development people who can help in various ways.

If we don’t want to Hamptonize, we have to make things amenable for useful businesses.

]]> By: Marshall Miles http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/10/15/useful-is-a-sight-to-behold/#comment-826 Marshall Miles Mon, 16 Oct 2006 11:36:13 +0000 http://tcextra.com/terrycowgill/2006/10/15/useful-is-a-sight-to-behold/#comment-826 Terry...I hear Dean has the permit and is working on his building and will be open in a few weeks....maybe a breaking story for your blog? It's only a rumor, but, I hear, a very accurate one! Your Blog reporter Marshall Miles CATV 6 Terry…I hear Dean has the permit and is working on his building and will be open in a few weeks….maybe a breaking story for your blog? It’s only a rumor, but, I hear, a very accurate one!

Your Blog reporter

Marshall Miles
CATV 6

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