The good news about independent retailing is that business is strong. The bad news is that good business means more competition. After a drought of more than a few years, small stores finally seem to be emerging from a period of lethargy and hibernation. The signs are easy to spot. Retailers once satisfied with a single store are considering additional locations.
Venture capitalists are on the lookout for hot, new, independent concepts.
Despite the microscopic attention the entire retail industry receives, there continues to exist a woeful lack of information helpful to the prospective entrepreneur. I often wonder, with such little available information, how so many stores actually manage to open, much less survive. Maybe ignorance really is bliss. How much rent can be paid. How much inventory is required.