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Another loss in the Short North. They had a great name too.
With the numerous closings in the Short North, I can’t help but wonder to what extent the high concentration of specialty shops vs shops selling everyday goods might be at fault. If there were more of the latter, would it attract more people nearby to the former? Of course, the economy is a factor, but don’t people still need counter tops?
Times are tight enough that consumers are spending less than ever before and it follows that the first things slated for the chopping block would be home renos.
I’ve spoken with a number of local small business owners who say they’re considering closing up the storefront and selling their wares exclusively online to save money on climbing rent fees (next to zero overhead for a website). God knows the Short North is hardly a budget neighbourhood. And, of course, it can’t help that everybody’s doing their shopping at the Lowe’s at Easton on the cheap.
BTW, Counter Culture, I dunno what you’re gonna do with your overstock granite, but I’d be willing to trade you a schmancy Flash website for new kitchen counters.
Such sad news. Mary Ellen Baker, owner of CounterCulture, will be sorely missed in the neighborhood. Mary Ellen has always been really active with the Short North Business Association and she’s a wonderful friend and supporter of the neighborhood. Mary Ellen has great taste and style, I loved going through the shop if only to drool at such gorgeous fixtures for home and bath. I’d always dream of the day I could build my dream kitchen with her wonderful stuff. My hope is that she pops up again with a new concept for the ‘hood, Mary Ellen is a sharp and savvy chick, I have a feeling she might be back.
yeah, its a sad state of affairs. i parted business ways with counter culture last year. mary ellen and i are great friends and i consider her family, she held out longer than i could. at one point we were doing 80k+ kitchen remodels, but those days are long gone. to answer the 1st poster questions, we did not have instock granite as we worked with fabricators here in columbus. there are kitchen dispalys for sale in the store but no counter top material is available for fabrication.
im sure mary ellen will still be an active member in the community and who knows, she may pop back up with a new concept when things turn around with the ecomony. i feel very fortunant that i can be flexable in the work that i do. one month i might be remodeling a kitchen the next im fabricating steel for a restaurant interior. i guess i can roll with the punches. having a store front that is geared toward kitchen and bath remodels, not so easy to adapt.
I agree with Stolte-Sawa (welcome to CU btw)
I have no doubt general merch retailers would be a very good add to the Short North neighborhood Columbusite, and would help stabilize retail footraffic for everybody on non gallery hop days. But the extremely extremely high rents, parking issues and lack big enough retail of spaces prohibit many from even looking.
That being said I don’t think general merch would have necessarily saved the shops that are closing.
Specialty retailers usually do have shorter lifespans as their business tends to be more volatile (good and bad). Many being single store operations just don’t have the financial resources to weather too many down months. If you are a new shop and can make it past year 5 you should be really proud of yourself. It’s a very tough job. Even in the best of times really good people can close for a variety for reasons and as Stolte says this is the single toughest retailing environment in two generations in Columbus. Don Casto and Frank Kass warned of this last year.
I have no idea why Counter Culture closed, it might be they had enough business and just had other issues come up. I don’t know. I just know it was a very nice shop and I’m sad to see them gone.
I wish them the best and hope they are able to reopen in the future should they desire.
Yeah true CDS sherman,your line of work carries less fixed costs and overhead allows you a bit more wiggle room to adjust on the fly. But you have your own unique challenges I’m sure that we don’t.
Not easier or tougher per say, just different.
well i can assure you ZHC there was hardly any business at the end according to her. why pay 60 to 65 a sqft for granite when lowes has it for 55? same for cabinets, lowes offered 20% off all orders over 12 cabs and now its 10%. hard to compete. hitting every price point too is a tough task. i can say that the wave was rode and rode well.
most of my challenges are material price fluctuations and gas prices. i have no formal employees and overhead is nill. that allows me to pass on some additional savings to my customers, in turn that keeps me busy. people love to save money.
well, if it makes any urbanists feel better, I just noticed that the Buckeye Connection in the newish strip mall on Olentangy RR is closing up shop. This economy is going to reap much more than small urban design, furniture and glass shops in the SN. One of may questions is though – what rebounds first?