Buisnesses Closing in Hudson

So far, I see:

Step Right Up
Cali-Juice
Uniquely Ohio
Huggy's Fine Chocolate and Nuts
Fundamentals Creative Toys
The Shoe Gallery

I'm willing to bet current merchants are on life support!

Do you think that has to do with Hudson, or the economy in general? What about businesses that have opened recently? Barley and Bitters, Janet Rhodes Fair Trade, any others?

It looks like it has more to do with people who start stupid businesses and do no actual market research. Looking at the list above there is no reason for a resident to shop at any of thoise types of stores. I am all for local business (and want to keep Hudson quaint, not turn into some new Stow or Streetsboro)...but the fact is...outsiders come in here thinking everyone has more money than sense to spend on pointless trinkets, andit isn't the case. Even as a tourist these places are not business where people would spend much money. A new store is basing its whole being around different flavors of POPCORN...c'mon! There are many restaurants, yet they are one extreme to another (either gross fast food, or overpriced restaurants in the typical Ohio style that think if you charge too much people will overlook the awful quality and lack of customer service). REAL business people would realize if they start a business that sells products or services people ALWAYS need (and go to other towns for)...AND charge competitive prices (there is nothing that makes me boycott a store than a business that gives the "Hudson price increase"...then they could do a great business. There is no reason why we can't keep the historic AND residential areas QUAINT and put REAL businesses in the ALREADY industrial areas like near Jo_ann and the empty business park acrooss from the mega church. You don't have to WRECK our town (and if you DO...you will NOT be able to keep people here withe these taxes if you turn it into a Stow or Streetsboro) to succeed. ENOUGH with the pointless (not even souvenir) trinket shops, insanely priced niche clothing, fast food and incompetent restaurants that try to be high end yet embarrassingly not. Think like a CONSUMER for once and have the creativity to keep hudson HISTORIC HUDSON and put the businesses in the outlying city limits (GASP...maybe Stow and Streetboro people would shop HERE then)!

People don't get or stay wealthy by spending foolishly, so don't look at the residents of ANY town as potential moneybags for dumb businesses. Those who charge residents in an upscale area MORE will lose business every time..people are not stupid.

It seems to me everyone is pointing their fingers at Government (Local, County, Federal) to solve these businesses from closing. I thought the "free market" was supposed to decide who thrives and who dies?

I agree with Another Hudson Resident completely!

Unfortunately, any Summit County sit-down restaurant that is more than slightly exotic is derided as being "too spicy." Marcelitas is bland as baby food. The other Mexican restaurant in Hudson is more of a tequila bar than a restaurant. Tomato Grill has good food, but Italian food is hardly exotic. Aladdin's doesn't offer any of the more exotic Middle Eastern fare.
So it's either steak, expensive steak, really expensive steak, or burgers.

There is another exception to the "exotic food" ban in Hudson... Pad Thai. But you have to make a point of asking for "Thai Spicy." Then the server looks at you like you're some crazy round-eyes that doesn't know what Thai Spicy means. I guess they're too used to the typical NE Ohioan threatening to sue them because the food woke up their sleeping taste buds.

Let's look at some of the other stores that have failed or are about to fail in Hudson. Flavored popcorn? "Antique" stores that carry either expensive bath vanities or chachi-type clutter? Expensive yarn stores? Another hair salon / wine bar? "Come to the Hudson Mile of Hair Salons!!" What we need are stores that import hard-to-find and unique items from around the world, and that don't try to make up for high rent by charging a 1000% markup on the items. First and Main doesn't have anything that is unique enough to draw people from across Summit and Cuyahoga counties. Case in point... when F&M was being planned, we were close to having a Miss Molly's Tea Room, but the restrictions on operating hours kept it from happening. We almost had a Trader Joe's on Norton, but Hudson residents didn't want to lose the "charm" of undeveloped land. So now we have the "charm" of higher property taxes because we don't have enough sales tax revenue. We don't want to have a - shudder - BAR opening at the long-vacant Waters restaurant, so it's better to have a weed-infested parking lot next to a deteriorating, vacant building.

Interesting topic. As someone who worked in Hudson for 4 years but doesn't live in Hudson, it's interesting to hear the view points of the Hudson residents. I love coming to Hudson now and then to shop. It's a fun little town. I have to admit though, I like the charming little shops that you are talking negetively about. I've shopped at Uniquely Ohio and love it. Heather's heat and flavor is another one of my favorite shops and I have recently gone out of my way to drive half an hour to your town to buy a Christmas present from there for one of my friends. I'm an artist who collects antique postcards for some of my altered art projects and I love the Antique shop (by the pizza place). My son loves Aladdins eatery and we always buy him a gift card. Guess what? He spends it at the Hudson location because he loves it there. I love Miss Chick Peas Funky fibers store. I always get a cup of coffee at Caribou while I'm visiting Hudson, and do a little grocery shopping at Heinens (their customer service beats anyones!). I don't have disposable income (in fact I'm recently unemployed) but if I want to shop in a different atmosphere other than shopping at the typical strip malls, target, walmart....I love coming to Hudson. Just an opinion from someone who does not live there.

Browsers don't count, shoppers do.