What businesses are successful these days in small towns?

AMKC

So there is a unit looking for a business soon and trying to figure out what would be good for the town. No vape shops or salons as loads of them in the town. Loads of pubs too and besides this unit would be far to small for a pub. Would or could a book shop be successful in this day and age?

Or maybe a dog grooming shop. There is none of them in the town. We used to have one but they want away.

Any other ideas?

prunudo

Coffee shops, they seem to be multiplying rapidly these days.

slay55

Massage

vapes

thats it really

ancapailldorcha

Betting shops seem to be doing alright. Pubs look to be in bother. Those aside, I'd say places doing the essentials like corner shops, butchers and so on are about all that'd be viable for new businesses in small towns.

Water John

Lot of business don't need high street, like the dog grooming. The best rent payers no doubt are bookies. I often rate towns on the number of bookie shops they have. Trade I don't like. Definitely room for a florist in each town. Turkish barber, phone and electronic accessories.

Oops!

Coffee shops are all the new rage in the towns local to me anyway. Where is this unit based?

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480314#Comment_120480314

Ye there is a Costa Coffee in the town right beside Tesco with free parking so that's out.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480341#Comment_120480341

A Massage parlour could work alright.

Vapes no not interested.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480356#Comment_120480356

Definitely room for a florist in each town. Turkish barber, phone and electronic accessories.

Already a florist in the town and never all that busy except around mothers day and Valentines. Amazing its still there.

Them last two are good ideas do.

tesla_newbie

livestock marts , they charge 12 euro for a dinner you wouldn’t feed a hungry dog ( 5 star cuisine for the bachelor farmers though)

Floppybits

I live in a small village and the butchers closed recently, due to retirement. The queue use to be out the door at certain times. Nothing better going into a proper butcher to discuss what the best cut is to use for meals or the butcher going in the back to bring out a side of meat to cut your steak off. Just outside the village there is a farm shop selling fruit and veg and it is packed there, get a big bag of onions for €3 which is nearly the same price as one of those net bags of onions with 5 onions in it in the supermarket. That is busy as well.

Atlantic Dawn

Mobile phone repair shop, fix screens, issues etc, also sell cases and used phones.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480426#Comment_120480426

Ye Thats going to work lol.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480546#Comment_120480546

Tgere was at least three of them in my town and one stage now I think there is only one.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480868#Comment_120480868

Ye there is a few of them in the town already. In fact there is nearly as many of them as there are pubs lol.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058292462/what-businesses-are-successful-these-days-in-small-towns

What are we calling a "small town"

A really good bakery still gets plenty of footfall.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480546#Comment_120480546

That seems to be a big issue. Butchers in Limerick are very busy so it's not trade that's the problem but people wanting to take up the vocation. Same for a lot of of the long standing independent retailers in town.

Butchers, farm shops etc. are actually making a big comeback in one sense as part of a wider trend towards locally sourced produce but sadly it's not reflected in shop units.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120481026#Comment_120481026

It has 4 or 5 pubs a Dunnes stores at one end and Lidl,Aldi and Tesco at the other with a Centra and a Spar a lot of hair salons and barbers as well as phone repair shops and a few polish and Brazillian shops about the town and a couple of Bargain shops as well as charity shops and the town has a population of about 7000 people.

Jim_Hodge

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120481120#Comment_120481120

Ideal for a couple of decent coffee shops so. They're all thriving around here and in the nearby small towns.

griffin100

Slot machine / games arcade - little space needed, good income and easy to manage.

The latest shop to open in my midsize town is a combined sex shop / tattoo parlour called 69 Ink. I’ll be interested to see how long it lasts.

maninasia

Stick a bunch of claw machines with toys and random crap in them.

Floppybits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120481047#Comment_120481047

Seems to a problem with a lot of trades not just butchers. Hard to know who to make the trades more appealing. The butchers in the supermarkets are not the same. They don't seem to have the same knowledge as a local butcher and god forbid if you asked them to cut up a whole chicken into the different parts.

tesla_newbie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120481041#Comment_120481041

A really good bakery is a real rarity , not something we ever excelled in for the most part

NIMAN

Re: butchers

There is a few businesses I've seen in Derry which started out as a butchers, but have now branched off into providing a lot of ready made meals, stews, homemade pies, various potatoes in different sauces etc, all prepacked, and they never empty. Regularly a queue at the door.

And they offer things like 3 packs for £10 etc, so folk can mix and match. Seems to be a great success for many years now.

Also seen an explosion in dog grooming businesses. I know one guy who was one of the first to open one here, and he's doing very well for himself, but he has a lot of competition now as dozens have opened over the last few years. A pleasant take on them was the self service dog washing places. They provide all the bays, water etc, but you wash your own dog rather than a stranger doing it. Might be an angle?

Tanning places seem to get regular business as the new generation become obsessed with their Insta-look.

Perhaps a place that does Botox? Or whatever it is that they pump into their faces and lips these days, cos I see a lot of people whose faces look weird, so there must be money out there for that.

enricoh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480868#Comment_120480868

Yeah, a polish fella opened one up near me- only does repairs of laptops, fones etc. He's flat out.

Larbre34

Bakery / Deli.

Fresh bread and cakes, deli salad lunches and soup to eat in or take out, maybe an all day brekky, small catering service for communions, house parties, funerals etc. Fresh made birthday cakes and treats.

If a place like this establishes a good reputation they can do a bomb, retain great loyalty and get word of mouth business from far and wide.

Friends of ours, a couple, have left their 9-5 jobs to do exactly this in a busy small village and are having a wonderful time doing it, have become really popular with the local organisations and clubs to cater events for them. All the school mammies throng the place for coffee and eats after 9am and the farming contractors and builders flock in for lunch.

All told, they work 7.30am to 4pm, 6 days and deal with any catering jobs as required, have a good roster of local casual staff to relieve them and take short holidays.

They love it.

Oops!

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120481120#Comment_120481120

Guess the town time....

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120481120#Comment_120481120

Sounds like it's doing well for a town of 7000. Definitely needs more coffee at least one place doing really good coffee and another a good big breakfast.

Also pizza an Asian food but not in the little unit you mentioned.

ednwireland

whats the unit got planning for ? cant just put anything in, might not get planning for anything else.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120482273#Comment_120482273

There is a pizza place in the Town actually totally forgot about that.

Also plenty of chippers and the odd car sales garage and a local Kia Showroom.

No idea. It belongs to the parents. Just trying to help them out.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120482198#Comment_120482198

It's a small town in the Midlands.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120482370#Comment_120482370

Sounds like Thurles. It isn't because for one thing they have coffee shops but it's the town came to mind.

Odhinn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058292462/what-businesses-are-successful-these-days-in-small-towns

A sheep brothel with an old school thatched roof on it.

enricoh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120482370#Comment_120482370

Any florist in the town? Seem busy, good margins I'd say

walterking

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120480375#Comment_120480375

Do people not die or get married in the town? (Are these two things related 😀😀)

The "walk in" business of a florist is a sideline to their main business.

Dog grooming is a good option if rent and rates is under €12k

highgiant1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058292462/what-businesses-are-successful-these-days-in-small-towns

Undertakers always have customers.

Nowso

Krispy Kreme donut shops

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120482848#Comment_120482848

Do people not die or get married in the town? (Are these two things related

I am sure they do lol.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120482810#Comment_120482810

Yes there is.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120482607#Comment_120482607

Your right it's not Thurles no where close.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120482947#Comment_120482947

That would not work here either tge units too small. Besides there is a well established very busy one in the town. The last thing in it was an auctioneers you know the people who advertise properties for sale.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120482950#Comment_120482950

Yes Donut shops seem popular.

Or maybe a health shop could work. None of them in the town.

Yurt2

Noticing a lot of gyms popping up in smaller towns and doing well for themselves.

Fitness in general is a huge growth area: yoga, pilates, jiu jitsu/other martial arts, HIIT training, crossfit, all that business.

Lads and ladies on the local GAA teams are more likey to be looking after themselves than in yesteryear, and they've kind of become the "third space" in a lot of places. Throw-in a low-fuss coffee dock in the gym to hang out in after and you have a tidy little business.

Water John

The wholefood, organic local produce is viable. Each town can carry one.

Annasopra

Maybe an old fashioned hardware shop. If there isnt a woodies or b and q nearby. Or kitchen shop

Annasopra

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120483523#Comment_120483523

Zero waste type shops/bring your own packing like this are starting to become popular

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120483330#Comment_120483330

Ridiculously regulated!

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120483347#Comment_120483347

No donuts shop. Be gone in no time. Suppose if you have the kitchen you and create crepes, falafel and tacos. It's a fad.

mikemac2

CrossFit gym. You don’t need a high street place with expensive rent. An industrial unit will do

These days drinking is down, smoking is down and people will pay for fitness training. You could split the rent if someone else runs martial arts classes

As with everything, research is required

In our town a closed down factory was turned into a CrossFit gym and seems to be going well

gameoverdude

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120483380#Comment_120483380

Nope. How many trainers of different knowledge do you need. Loss of money unless people are complete fools.

GiftofGab

I live in Dundrum - it's a hugely built up area of Dublin with a town, massive shopping centre and huge apartment blocks.

Places that are ridiculously popular here are;

- Gym

- Coffee Shops / Cafe's

- Barbers

- Cosmetic Dentists

- Donut Shops

- Gaping Stores

Mr. CooL ICE

Again, ditto for cafes. Was driving from Waterford to Dublin a while back and decided to go off the motorway to grab a bite to eat. Ended up in Thomastown, which seemed like a nice little village. I found at least 4 coffee shops to choose from which seemed disproportionate for the size of it.

nullzero

Clamping companies.

Glaceon

The last time I was in a particular Irish town which I won’t name, it was pretty much all Chinese takeaways and barber shops!

Indestructable

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120483332#Comment_120483332

It's almost certainly Edenderry. Though I didn't think 7,000 live there.

saabsaab

Mentioned before but Coffee shop was what first came to mind. How about a Magic/Joke shop with costumes etc. might do ok with the younger ones? Anything that appeals to women seems to do ok too.

Kloppo

A bowling alley/Arcade would do well.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120493381#Comment_120493381