After 38 years of building a business it's now time to move on. John's Variety & Pets has been a major part of my life for the last 10 years and the catalyst for my love of entrepreneurship. We are now faced with the decision to move on or to re-build our store. We are not ready to throw in the towel just yet. The biggest hurdle won't be packing up the store, finding a building or pulling off such a move but rather rebuilding the history in the walls.
 |
| Store Front: 2281 Commerce Blvd, Mound Mn |
Excuse me, for those of you not familiar with
John' Variety & Pets ( JVP ) it was previously a Ben Franklin. Pets, sewing needles, fabric, toys, seasonal, stationary, health and beauty, framing, home goods are only a small sample of what you can find on the shelves at JVP. As the saying goes "If you can't find it at John's You just don't need it." Early in 2011 a big box store, Walgreens, put in an initial offer to purchase the property. After almost 8 months of negotiating and waiting for city approval the project is somewhat underway.
How does one craft a new location with the same nostalgic feel as the former location? Can You? It's questionable. I often ponder the future of the stores' integrity. Will this move damage the stores image or strengthen it?
The building is set to be torn down sometime late this year. I will continue to post updates on the sale of the store, learning points and anything worth sharing.
Connect with John's on
Facebook.
I absolutely love to read stories like this. Its stories like this and people like you Sean, who remind us all that the American Dream and the American Entrepreneurial Spirit are still alive and well. What a great story... A variety store started by a grandfather and passed down through the generations, now largely operated by the grandson. 38 years of business success! And now the business faces what some might view its biggest challenge yet. How to continue the legacy in the face of "big business?" Now some might look at the situation and say "here we go again, big business comes in a pushes out the little guy" Now that's not the way I view it, if you do so be it. Sean proposes the question "Can you?" Sean, have you asked your grandfather if he asked himself the question "Can I" My guess is that he did. And his answer was "I CAN" If you desire for the legacy of John's Variety and Pets to live on, where ever it may be, I challenge you to answer the question with "I CAN"... just as your grandfather did...
ReplyDelete