Editorial Opinion: Town Square Business Closures Sad But Not Troubling

Every time a >business closes in Town Square, people get worried. Some, who were perhaps ambivalent or opposed the development in the first place, point to each closure as evidence of the original folly of Town Square.

Others, who believe the City is managing Town Center poorly, say that if only we had different policies, more businesses would stay open.

I take a different view. While I regret each business closure, I also know that many, if not most, start ups don’t succeed. I’ve read that three out of four restaurants close — and Town Square has a lot of restaurants. Looked at in context, Town Square is doing well. Yes, some businesses fail, and some are struggling. Others are thriving.

Rather than imagine what went wrong, I would prefer to look at what is going right and try to do more of it.

In today’s Gazette roundup of business closures — and their replacements — my friend Stephen Schadler of the Austin Grill has a very useful reminder:

“When you have a development like Town Square you put in a mix of retail and restaurants that you think will be successful; however, you’re never going to get that perfect the first time around. . . . There’s always going to be those businesses even in the best of economic times that are going to struggle and not make it one way or another. The hope is you bring in new merchants so that you can continue trying to get that right mix and give consumers what they’re demanding.”

Remember, every turnover is an opportunity to refine and create a successful mix.