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Geneva, IL —
In 2010, Jan Briner was in her mid-60s with 3,700 square feet of retail space to manage in a down economy. She knew something needed to change with her shop, the Persimmon Tree.
But rather than watch the 35-year-old business that sells sports memorabilia, wall art and home decor items become another casualty of the recession, Briner decided to rent half the space to another retailer.
However, Briner had a hard time finding a merchant who was willing to take a chance on 1,800 square feet of space.
“A business owner from Sycamore wanted to come, but did not want all that space,” Briner said.
So she adapted and decided to divide the space into smaller pieces, but no smaller than 6-by-6 feet. The idea seemed to work and by October 2010, she had four tenants.
Yet Briner also learned tenants didn’t want to be identified by the Persimmon Tree awning at the front of the shop, so she changed the name to Shoppes at 127.
“As a year went along, we were getting more inquiries (from prospective tenants,)” Briner said.
As the housing market shifts from fewer owners and more renters, Briner found the same might be true for the retail market.
She said she didn’t have a precise business plan when she began Shoppes at 127, but found it was a solution for merchants who wanted to try their business in Geneva, but were scared by the economy.
Still, despite the recession, Briner had 16 tenants by Geneva’s Festival of the Vine in September.
“By the Christmas Walk (in December), we had 22 tenants,” Briner said. “We have a waiting list.”
Each tenant signs a one-year lease and helps pay for a part-time employee to run the shops. Briner runs the shop as a part-time staff member with her husband, Bill Briner, and other employees. The extra free time from not having to manage the entire retail space has allowed Briner to fulfill her agreement of being a full-time baby sitter to her grandchild in Barrington.
“They don’t have to be present,” Briner said of the merchants who rent from her. “We run it with a staff. All (tenants) are responsible for is keeping their space stocked and clean.”
Briner’s adjusted to her new role after working all businesses in like a jigsaw puzzle. She said part of managing is making sure merchants don’t have products that are too similar to each other.
In 2010, Jan Briner was in her mid-60s with 3,700 square feet of retail space to manage in a down economy. She knew something needed to change with her shop, the Persimmon Tree.
But rather than watch the 35-year-old business that sells sports memorabilia, wall art and home decor items become another casualty of the recession, Briner decided to rent half the space to another retailer.
However, Briner had a hard time finding a merchant who was willing to take a chance on 1,800 square feet of space.
“A business owner from Sycamore wanted to come, but did not want all that space,” Briner said.
So she adapted and decided to divide the space into smaller pieces, but no smaller than 6-by-6 feet. The idea seemed to work and by October 2010, she had four tenants.
Yet Briner also learned tenants didn’t want to be identified by the Persimmon Tree awning at the front of the shop, so she changed the name to Shoppes at 127.
“As a year went along, we were getting more inquiries (from prospective tenants,)” Briner said.
As the housing market shifts from fewer owners and more renters, Briner found the same might be true for the retail market.
She said she didn’t have a precise business plan when she began Shoppes at 127, but found it was a solution for merchants who wanted to try their business in Geneva, but were scared by the economy.
Still, despite the recession, Briner had 16 tenants by Geneva’s Festival of the Vine in September.
“By the Christmas Walk (in December), we had 22 tenants,” Briner said. “We have a waiting list.”
Each tenant signs a one-year lease and helps pay for a part-time employee to run the shops. Briner runs the shop as a part-time staff member with her husband, Bill Briner, and other employees. The extra free time from not having to manage the entire retail space has allowed Briner to fulfill her agreement of being a full-time baby sitter to her grandchild in Barrington.
“They don’t have to be present,” Briner said of the merchants who rent from her. “We run it with a staff. All (tenants) are responsible for is keeping their space stocked and clean.”
Briner’s adjusted to her new role after working all businesses in like a jigsaw puzzle. She said part of managing is making sure merchants don’t have products that are too similar to each other.
“It seems to have worked so far,” Briner said.
Mark Romano of North Aurora has sold gourmet kitchen gadgets at the site since June and said its been “a great experience for me.”
He said this is his first business venture and leasing the retail space allows him to test the waters without the responsibility of owning a building — especially in an unstable economy.
He added that Briner and her husband have been great business mentors.
However the business works, officials said they’re happy the large retail space has remained occupied in downtown Geneva. The shops staying open is one sign of hope in the economy, especially after news late last year that the Merra Lee Shops — with 20,000 square feet of retail space — would close after more than 80 years in business.
“I think it was a good move for them (the Briners),” said Laura Rush, spokeswoman for the Geneva Chamber of Commerce. “It’s a prime location on our street. … We always would like to see business survive and not close down.”
Still, Rush said she doesn’t know if the subdividing that Briner did would work for everyone.
“It’s probably on a case-by-case basis,” she said.
