Jump to content
Required Reading for any Longhorn ×

Thread of local businesses that don't survive the coronavirus

CooterBrown

By CooterBrown
in Business and Markets

 Share

Recommended Posts

ImissWallyPryor

ImissWallyPryor 9046

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Scuba gear?  That's next level.  We'd sneak onto the local country club course at night and just fish around with our hands.  Sometimes you'd score a turtle, which is pretty damn freaky in the dark.

It started out like that for them, then a snorkel and fins, then full blown scuba gear. By the time they were 20 or so, they had arrangements with multiple golf courses in the SA area. A good percentage of the balls were in pristine or near pristine condition, and those were sold back to the club for resale.  They marked the excellent balls to sell back as range balls. They had so many extra pristine balls that they had large trash barrels lining the sides of one of the brothers’ garage, each sorted by brand. I visited him about 4-5 years after college, and he still had some full barrels. They had stopped retrieving balls when they got corporate jobs (the ponds at their courses had fewer balls to retrieve, and they didn’t have time to find new country clubs needing their services...and they grew up), but were still getting requests from courses for more balls. He unloaded at least tree fiddy Titleists on me because his wife was sick of seeing them. One of the golf magazines ran an article around that time about other guys doing that for a living using scuba gear. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 1.3k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

Zombie
Zombie

I'm a commercial landlord with about 10 small businesses in my properties. [/CSB] I've let them know we'll work something out if their cash flow dries up for the next few months. I don't see how anyon

GHOSTUSER
GHOSTUSER

my restaurant tenants were ecstatic and one almost burst into tears when I told them I was giving them abated rent for April and May in exchange for extending their term by 2 months. One of the things

Hank Scorpio
Hank Scorpio

I just saw the Pluckers CEO on TV and he was crying and saying that they have to shut down all their stores permanently because they were one lunch order of wings short for their quota today and they

Posted Images

ImissWallyPryor

ImissWallyPryor 9046

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Grade of D as in David said:

I miss Pecan Valley.

Yeah, we had a membership in the mid-70s, and my HS had a membership for the golf team, so I played most days for years. The course saw a big drop in membership throughout the 70s after having hosted the 50th PGA Championship in ‘68 (won by Julius Boros with Palmer finishing tied for 2nd and Nicklaus missing the cut). It was an amazing, tough course in it’s day with lots and lots of mature trees and tight fairways. There were a couple of holes I don’t think I ever birdied in spite of playing probably a thousand rounds. They took out some sand traps as membership dwindled because Salado Creek kept flooding and washing them out. More and more corners were cut every year until the city finally took over, but by then, I hadn’t played it in years. 

Edited by ImissWallyPryor
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Somnio

Somnio 751

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, RomaVicta said:

There was an anti-growth city council

It's more nuanced than this, but anti-growth councils have contributed to Austin's affordability issues.

Limit supply in high growth, desirable areas to appease NIMBY neighborhood activists, and this is what you end up with.

Token 5 story apartments along a few commercial strips add what, maybe 10,000 units in 78704 for example? 

The Austin metro has added over 500,000 people in the last 10 years.

West Campus style zoning over many, many square miles of the central city would solve the issue, but would seem an impossibility given our electorate.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Somnio

Somnio 751

Posted
Posted

And to tie that into the topic of this thread, more people equals more customers to support all these locally owned businesses.

And I don't have any data to back this up, but I speculate restaurants/bars/shops that have a large population in the neighborhood have an advantage over those relying solely on people driving from 5 to 10 miles away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RomaVicta

RomaVicta 30033

Posted
Posted
47 minutes ago, Somnio said:

It's more nuanced than this, but anti-growth councils have contributed to Austin's affordability issues.

Limit supply in high growth, desirable areas to appease NIMBY neighborhood activists, and this is what you end up with.

Token 5 story apartments along a few commercial strips add what, maybe 10,000 units in 78704 for example? 

The Austin metro has added over 500,000 people in the last 10 years.

West Campus style zoning over many, many square miles of the central city would solve the issue, but would seem an impossibility given our electorate.

I think I'm going back much further in time than you are.  Anti-growth may have even been Quixotic for all I know, but there was a plan. The controlled growth plan would have kept development along linear pathways to enable mass transit instead of the sprawling loop system of Houston where I live prior to college. 

Carol Keaton McClellan Rylander Lannister was something of a Trojan Horse mayor whom we all thought was progressive because she was female. We were sadly mistaken. She was in bed with the developers and variances were handed out like candy at Halloween as Austin lay down and spread her legs (forced down and had her legs spread for her).

The only people who benefit from growth are those planning to sell and move away. You're penalized if you have a nice home conveniently located where you'd like to live the rest of your life.

Ours is a rapine system of boom towns that developers devour while they pay off local pols. Anywhere, USA is what they shit out at the end of the day. Lucky us.

Actually, the majority of Americans will soon be those who grew up in Anywhere, USA and won't lament in the least what was lost. So there's that, I guess. yay!

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ImissWallyPryor

ImissWallyPryor 9046

Posted
Posted
50 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

I think I'm going back much further in time than you are.  Anti-growth may have even been Quixotic for all I know, but there was a plan. The controlled growth plan would have kept development along linear pathways to enable mass transit instead of the sprawling loop system of Houston where I live prior to college. 

Carol Keaton McClellan Rylander Lannister was something of a Trojan Horse mayor whom we all thought was progressive because she was female. We were sadly mistaken. She was in bed with the developers and variances were handed out like candy at Halloween as Austin lay down and spread her legs (forced down and had her legs spread for her).

The only people who benefit from growth are those planning to sell and move away. You're penalized if you have a nice home conveniently located where you'd like to live the rest of your life.

Ours is a rapine system of boom towns that developers devour while they pay off local pols. Anywhere, USA is what they shit out at the end of the day. Lucky us.

Actually, the majority of Americans will soon be those who grew up in Anywhere, USA and won't lament in the least what was lost. So there's that, I guess. yay!

I guess you didn’t buy her diet book, amirite?

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
BrazilHorn

BrazilHorn 6637

Posted
Posted

Plug for Foreign & Domestic - You order online (obviously) and swing by at your appointed time and a bag with your name on it with your food is sitting right by front door. Very minimal interaction with staff.

Good grub - (got the burgers and some cauliflower)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

Posted
Posted
2 minutes ago, Blotto said:

Probably squeaking out rent, one late charge at a time.

“I can’t return the movie for 14 days, I’m under self-quarantine l.”

Then we’ll have to charge you for two weeks of late fees, no exceptions Karen!  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 46296

Posted
Posted
On 4/24/2020 at 1:40 PM, tbone_ said:


$500/mo on a $10k machine is a 60% annual return on cost.

If that’s real I’m getting in the pinball machine business.

In my experience renting scientific test gear, they recoup list price in about 10 months.  It's insane.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LCHorn

LCHorn 2633

Posted
Posted
39 minutes ago, Blackcat00 said:

Sam's Boat didn't make it. Damn good crawfish. 

Well shit.  That place was an institution for cougar hunting.  First they take Cool River, now they take Sam's; I'm really not sure what's left for middle-aged single mom's looking for a one-nighter. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

Posted
Posted

Well to be fair, Cool River and Sam's Boat were good milf hunting 20 years ago.  I didn't realize any of them made it past 2008 to be honest, good on them for lasting this long.  Oh shit, did the Syndicate Cigar bar close too?   It was fun up there though, the eye candy was so good we regularly drove from Travis Heights up there twice a week for 2 years.  Not a great idea in hindsight for a number of reasons.  Now I don't go north of 51st street but maybe once a month and only if there's mercenary work onvolved.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Guest Lobo

Guest Lobo

Posted
Posted

Well to be fair, Cool River and Sam's Boat were good milf hunting 20 years ago.  I didn't realize any of them made it past 2008 to be honest, good on them for lasting this long.  Oh shit, did the Syndicate Cigar bar close too?   It was fun up there though, the eye candy was so good we regularly drove from Travis Heights up there twice a week for 2 years.  Not a great idea in hindsight for a number of reasons.  Now I don't go north of 51st street but maybe once a month and only if there's mercenary work onvolved.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Grade of D as in David

Grade of D as in David 13253

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, LCHorn said:

Well shit.  That place was an institution for cougar hunting.  First they take Cool River, now they take Sam's; I'm really not sure what's left for middle-aged single mom's looking for a one-nighter. 

They've all moved online.

At least that what the ads advertising "single horny milfs in my area" on Pornhub tell me.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
mchookem

mchookem 16415

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, BrazilHorn said:

Plug for Kome Sushi off of airport. Order online, drive up, txt them and they set food on little chair/stool in front of parking spot. No muss no fuss.

Some good sushi & edamame.

 

gotten it three times, i looove Kome sushi!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ignatius

Ignatius 4042

Posted
Posted
On 4/24/2020 at 3:00 PM, tbone_ said:

I always liked how 99% of all pinball machines had a chick with big boobs on them.

Including that one.

The manager of the Posse East back in the early 90s had a Funhouse machine and turned the tilt down to its least sensitive setting. You could slide that bitch all over the concrete floor to keep your ball from going straight into the gutter...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Brisketexan

Brisketexan 105465

Posted
Posted
The manager of the Posse East back in the early 90s had a Funhouse machine and turned the tilt down to its least sensitive setting. You could slide that bitch all over the concrete floor to keep your ball from going straight into the gutter...

I had a resident visa at the Posse in the early 90s. Pretty much every day, for a few hours a day, I was there.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
utee94

utee94 15870

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:


I had a resident visa at the Posse in the early 90s. Pretty much every day, for a few hours a day, I was there.

Same here, 90-94.  I used to park out back in the mornings and Eddie, the manager, would give me a hard time.  I'd tell him, "Come on man, you know I'll be here at lunch and stay the rest of the day."

One morning around 9 AM I parked out back and was heading to class, while he was hosing down the front outside porch.  I jokingly asked him, "Hey, you wanna sell me a beer?"  He told me to follow him inside and went to the taps, and said, "We're not open yet so I can't SELL you a beer"-- as he was pouring a pitcher for me.

That day I did not go to any classes, I spent all morning and all afternoon and all evening drinking beer with Eddie and some friends, and we ended up at the Crazy Lady that night, where I'm pretty sure I saved Eddie's life by preventing him from going home with one of the dancers and her "bodyguard."

 

Edited by utee94
  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Deej

Deej 76983

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, utee94 said:

Same here, 90-94.  I used to park out back in the mornings and Eddie, the manager, would give me a hard time.  I'd tell him, "Come on man, you know I'll be here at lunch and stay the rest of the day."

One morning around 9 AM I parked out back and was heading to class, while he was hosing down the front outside porch.  I jokingly asked him, "Hey, you wanna sell me a beer?"  He told me to follow him inside and went to the taps, and said, "We're not open yet so I can't SELL you a beer"-- as he was pouring a pitcher for me.

That day I did not go to any classes, I spent all morning and all afternoon and all evening drinking beer with Eddie and some friends, and we ended up at the Crazy Lady that night, where I'm pretty sure I saved Eddie's life by preventing him from going home with one of the dancers and her "bodyguard."

 

You took a bullet and went home with the bodyguard?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
BottleRocket

BottleRocket 647

Posted
Posted
I used to go there pretty often in the 2000s, but very rarely since I moved.  But there was this one dude that seems to ALWAYS be there, and he brings his own mug.  Even in the last decade, if i happen to be in Austin and I happen to have free time to drink, and a couple of my friends happen to all agree to go there, (which has been maybe 3 times in the last decade) that dude is STILL always there.  Anyways, id feel bad for him, he'd have to find another hangout .


You just described me sitting at the bar in Ego’s in the ‘00’s.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
yoladu

yoladu 4111

Posted
Posted
On 4/26/2020 at 10:26 AM, BrazilHorn said:

Plug for Foreign & Domestic - You order online (obviously) and swing by at your appointed time and a bag with your name on it with your food is sitting right by front door. Very minimal interaction with staff.

Good grub - (got the burgers and some cauliflower)

 

Confused Get Smart GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business and Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Subscribe!... Donate!... Advertise... COOKIE MONSTER!

×
×
  • Create New...