Businesses Slowing – Please list the ones you see

[powayseller]

Tourism is slowing. The rate of growth is slowing, and people are being laid off.

I’ve seen this already. I didn’t really need to read it on CNN.com.

Today I was at Carmel Mountain, and noticed the yoga clothing store where I bought a couple tops last month, was vacant.

The guy had filed for bankruptcy, according to the florist next door.

Today, I received a flyer from Ethan Allen, the first one ever. They announced a 0% financing for one year.

Home Depot is doing this too.

Ever wonder why?

I know. It’s because their sales are way way doooowwwwnnnnn…….

Please use this thread to list other places where business is down.

[powayseller]

Oh, and this refutes another of Thornberg’s comments:
“Taxable sales growth should also slow, though strength in tourism and professional services should boost the economy.”

Tourism is not strong, is it declining.

I will post the employment report soon. I’ve got the data together, but need to write it up. Hint: expect 6.5% unemployment in 5 years.

[North County Jim]

I think golf courses in San Diego are already hurting. On the daily fee courses in town, there are weekday specials galore (free lunch, play twice, etc.).

For non-equity private clubs, initiation fees have come down. Golf Club of California in Fallbrook has dropped its refundable deposit requirement from $40k to $20k. You can get into Escondido Country Club with no money down.

Among equity clubs, Vista Valley is hurting for members while Santaluz was offering a special on dues and guest fees.

I don’t know if it’s been discussed here previously but if RE goes into the tank, how badly will the golf industry in town get hammered?

[mycroft]

I’ll occasionally go to Frye’s off of I-15 and Aero Drive on a Friday night. Over the last few months, I’ve noticed that there seems to be a lot less cars in the parking lot than there were the same time last year.

Dunno if it is a general slowing of retail business, or just that people can’t afford $3.50 a gallon for gas to drive over there to buy big screen TV’s 🙂

[powayseller]

My drycleaner in Poway said he’s as busy as usual,but his uncles in Florida said business is WAY DOWN at all his stores. They say people start laundering their silk, and ironing their shirts themselves. He said in the last recession, his business was not affected. He must have meant the 2000 recession, bec. the guy is too young to have been in business in the 1980’s recession. Again, the 2000 recession was a capital spending recession. I knew several families whose breadwinner in the software industry was laid off for at least one year, but overall, consumer spending held up.

If Fl drycleaning business is down, we can expect the same here starting later this year.

[PD]

Your drycleaner might a good source for determining whether people are hurting. It would be interesting if his business suddenly drops off.

[lostkitty]

Coronado and Imperial Beach both are going to have increasing problems with businesses adversly affected by water pollution. See this article:

http://www.coronadonewsca.com/articles/2006/06/08/news/news02.txt

One business owner in IB is saying he wants to seek disaster relief. I know I’ve written this before, but the stench from the water has become unbearable in Coronado. So much so, that we have decided not to spend our summer there this year. Others we met were saying the same last year. Top it off with a real estate downturn & decreased spending … and seriously bad times are ahead.

[powayseller]

I had no idea it was this bad. The solution is to work together with Tijuana to improve their infrastructure. We need to supply grants and loans so they can build a sewer system. This will raise employment and provide hope at the same time, and improve the environment.

[anxvariety]

That ‘Real Estate Investor Seeks Apprentice’ business seems to be slowing.. LOL, haven’t seen many of those signs lately…

[PD]

I saw one recently. Apprentice was spelled Apprestice. I got a good laugh out of that one.

[lindismith]

I’m in manufacturing. Our phones have been very light for the last 2-3 weeks. We are unsure if it’s because summer is starting, or if it’s the beginnning of something bigger.

My plant is in Chula Vista. On days that it rains, you would not believe the stench coming from TJ. As a business owner, and environmentalist, I support Bajagua, which is the facility planned to treat TJ sewage. It will not treat all of it, but it will make a big dent. TJ has grown at such a rapid pace; unfortunately they just don’t have the infrastructure to deal with so many millions of people.

[PD]

I live on the water in Coronado. The other day I noticed a terrible smell coming from the water. Yuck. There are billboards and signs up in Imperial Beach warning about the problem by http://www.wildcoast.net. I have not checked out the website yet.

[lostkitty]

I spent last summer in the water on Coronado… developed the most disgusting skin infection after a day of surfing. I know it was that day, because the water was particularly stinky, and i was wearing a wetsuit and alot of crud got trapped inside my bkini top and wetsuit. I woke with the infection the very next morning…. on the underside of my boob! It was so painful I could hardly lift my arm – even though it was nowhere near my armpit. I ended up on antibiotics. I am just thankful it wasnt the flesh-eating bacteria, but whatever it was – it was WRONG… I made my mind up that day that Coronado’s pollution had become too much for me or for my kids to be swimming in. Nasty. If they dont fix the problem somehow, tourism will certainly take a hit. If I didnt have family there – I’d probably never go back at all.

[JES]

Anyone have any hard numbers on retail sales declines? Surely there are studies, reports etc. that we can use besides just using observations about parking lots being empty etc., although these observations are interesting…

[powayseller]

The retail report should be out soon? The public retailers report their sales regularly. Does anyone want to check Walmart, Home Depot, Sears, Target, etc?

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