When I first set out to find a location, it was very daunting. Before I could even begin to look for a shop, I had to sort through what I did and did not want in a storefront, and I had to decide how flexible I was on some of those aspects. How big did I need my shop? Where did I want it to be located? What would my perfect floor plan look like? What would fit my budget?
After a long time of planning, I set out to find a place. There are tons of places for lease or rent in Wilson, NC. I made a spread sheet of all the places and had an extensive pro/con list for each. I peeked in windows and called realtors, looking for that perfect spot.
There were a lot of things I was unsure about. But I was absolutely, 100% sure of one thing...
I was NOT going to be downtown.
Downtown Wilson had parking problems and, although I admitted downtown was growing, I didn't feel there was enough traffic yet. I thought of how often I myself went downtown for groceries and errands and it wasn't very often.
But, I tried to keep an open mind. One day, I decided to stroll around downtown and see what I could find. I found some pretty interesting places. I found an abandoned theatre of some sort with an old-fashioned ticket-taking booth. I found an old building with vintage revolving doors. There were plenty of places that, when I peeked through the windows, I could either see holes in the back wall, or sunlight coming through the ceiling. That was a no for me.
Then I stumbled on a small unit that was for rent. I peeked in and it wasn't much. There were concrete floors and no light fixtures. But the walls were brick and there was new drywall towards the back of this open space. I looked up the unit and found it was within my budget.
I revisited the aspects I needed for my storefront and decided to pursue this one, even though I had been adamant that downtown was not for me. The more I thought about it, the more this place seemed like the one. I brought my mom to look at it, just so I could get a second opinion. She loved it. We stood on the front stoop and prayed that God would open the doors that I needed opened.
And He did.
From there everything fell into place. I was approved for the lease and the builders finished the the renovations. By a miracle, between the time I finished at my old job and the time I had my shop ready to roll, it was only eleven days. (That's another story for another day.) And my shop was ready to go!
These past months, we have LOVED being downtown. The relationships we have formed with other downtown businesses are close and long-lasting. We have lots of foot traffic past our store and we love being amidst so much history and beauty. I have no regrets about our location whatsoever.
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Loves those shops in Wilson! We looked down there several years ago for a spot for our birds store. It might of been that one. Was near the Beer Garden. Best of luck to you!