Ten years in the middle of Davis Square has done a lot to establish McIntyre and Moore as a local literary staple. They have enjoyed their large space and their even larger following in the community, which is great, but at the end of the day, doesn't pay the bills. Being an independent local business is not an easy thing - it doesn't matter if you're selling milk, used books or a free weekly paper - trust us.
Without a major corporation and its deep pockets behind them, these are the businesses that are the first to fall when trends change, even slightly. Some businesses recuperate by evolving and adapting - other businesses not so much.
The Tir na nOg is an example of local business evolution - and survival. They made the best of a situation, realized what it took to get it done - and did it, with a twist.
The Someday Café didn't fare as well - they appeared to have relied more on the emotional “movement” of its loyal customers rather than following a sound, realistic business model.
Emotions and business don't mix - not in local business life expectancy.
The Star Market on Broadway - don't even get us started on that again.
So after 25 years in business - 15 in Harvard Square and 10 in Davis Square - you would expect that McIntyre and Moore would evolve again. Hopefully they will find a similarly sized space away from the square and for less rent monthly.
It's simple - customer loyalty and market niche for this type of business are best demonstrated over time - after a quarter century in business, it would seem to be reasonable to expect that they might not need the storefront on Elm Street to survive.
Reasonable expectations aside, when it comes to local business survival and longevity, nobody has a crystal ball - all we can do as a community is support our local businesses and hope for the best.
Davis Square is a victim of its' own success. Rents have skyrocketed, pushing out local, independent businesses, as well as long-time business owners, who can't make a huge profit. I give you....Pluto, La Contessa, Dollar Store, Someday, Sacco's BOwl Haven, Boloco, Bertucci's, etc. Sad but true, and time marches on. Unfortunately, I think what we'll be left with in the end will not equal what we had.
Posted by: Davis Square..... | January 26, 2008 at 07:02 AM
Bottom line is businesses that do not make enough money close. I know we will hear alot of sentimental claptrap about how Davis is changing. However, as the story says, you can be a small business and be successful.
Posted by: jpm | January 26, 2008 at 10:15 AM
I'm under the impression Someday was forced out by its landlord to some extent - granted the ball was in Someday's court, but you know the landlord wasn't going to lift as much as a finger, he wanted them out. Didn't Mr. Crepe offer to sub-let the space to Someday, before the landlord put the kibosh on that?
The emotional "movement" of its customers came as a result of this, no?
Posted by: Tricky | January 26, 2008 at 11:27 AM