From Big Box to Mom & Pop

We often hear of big box stores (i.e. Wal-Mart’s, Kmart’s, Targets, Home Depot… etc) entering a community and pushing mom and pop businesses out. But I bet most of you have not heard about mom and pop businesses reclaiming defunct big box stores and re-creating diverse marketplaces. Although it gets very little press there are examples of this happening from California to Georgia and I’m sure everywhere in between.
Enterprising property owners have created homegrown (and profitable) marketplaces out of the once single-use buildings by installing temporary walls to subdivide the massive floor spaces into small “stalls” (See Image). The subdivided spaces are rented to small businesses, which benefit from short term, affordable leases that include electricity and nearby bathroom facilities. Renting a booth with a short term lease not only reduces start-up capital needs for the entrepreneur, but also allows for a more flexible schedule and a second job. This new use might not be glamorous but it is a big contribution to a community. Not only are these new marketplaces recycling under-utilized buildings they are reducing the cost and complexity for new entrepreneurs to enter the market and improving their odds of survival when they do. If we consider it that way, these big box conversions sound a lot like small business incubators… pretty glamorous after all.