Finally, an answer on the fond de commerce

It's been a tumultuous path....ups and downs....highs and lows...good news followed by bad news followed by good news.....followed by more waiting....and at last, we have the answer.

In the end, the boutique/café/kitchen I had hoped to set up in the 14th arrondissement in Paris is a disappointing non. It's not for lack of trying, I can assure you. I've had lots of support on the effort for which I'm deeply touched and forever grateful.

We crossed many hurdles on this little journey, but there was one hurdle that could not be surpassed, and that is to receive the landlord's approval to upgrade their facility. It's really mind-boggling to us - this thought that we offered to put in a respectable investment into the landlord's property to improve it, and to bring it up to hygiene standards for my business, something that they require in their own contract...(urgh) - and he said no to the offer.

Not only did he say no, but he said it s-l-o-w-l-y. Couldn't he have just told us that two months ago, straight away??

I suppose it's for the best. This was my immediate reaction. Who knows what future problems we may be avoiding....with the renovations work (I've heard a horror story or two), or with the unresponsive landlord himself (if we needed to ask anything from him, including trying to sell the place ourselves someday...)

OK, so I've got this great, big disappointment on my hands. And I feel like I've wasted a million years to get to nowhere....except we have gained valuable experience, and learned a few things along the way. Isn't that always what we say in situations like this??!! Well, there is a thread of truth to it!

I'm back on the hunt...looking for a good fond de commerce. There's even more on the market at the moment.....so, stay tuned, we'll see what happens next! All good things in their own time...

:/dma

Whirlwind of activity

Hi everyone. I wanted to say thanks for your interest and for all the 'positive thoughts' you have sent me during my search for a fond de commerce. It's been a tumultuous couple of weeks. I thought I had finally found a good start-up place (which I didn't even have time to write about yet), but as quickly as I stumbled across it, I "lost" it to another guy, faster at the draw by leaving a deposit check. Yes, the fun of real estate. I picked myself up by the bootstraps, continued pondering my current options, and even started to explore others. A week later I couldn't believe it when I received a phone call saying that the shop I had wanted was available after all - due, apparently, to credit problems of the prospective buyer. Perhaps a sign of a tightening banking system? Who knows, but suddenly luck seemed back in my favor!

We're now in the process of finalizing an offer and trying to confirm that the landlord will approve of the changes we'd like to make to the place. (If not, it's back to square one...) Yesterday was an interesting day. I met a kitchen designer and a wine vendor, thanks to our new friend from Chevreuse (more on his restaurant later). This morning I have an appointment with an architect, thanks to another American friend in Paris. Things are moving, hopefully not prematurely. I'll certainly write more about the new place after it's a bit more settled (I'm hoping for the best). For now, I wanted to say, please continue to keep your fingers crossed & send more of your positive thoughts my way, s'il vous plaît!


:/dma

Colette

My search for a "fond de commerce" started just a few blocks away from where we live. The second place I ever looked at continues to be of interest for various reasons that I'll explain later.

The owner's name is Colette. A name more french than that is not possible! She's an interesting character. She used to work in the Marketing Department of a high tech company, but her job was eliminated when she was in her early 50s. "Instead of collecting unemployment" she said "I decided to look for a business to buy and run". And that's exactly what she's been doing ever since.

She picked this location because it has tourists, students, and business people in the neighborhood. She decided to sell low cost sandwiches, salads, paninis, and plats du jour (daily specials) because she saw this as a good niche to fill. Her street sign gives a first clue about what she sells: it has a knife, fork & toque. She posts her daily specials on an outdoor chalkboard. She uses every other free space on her outside storefront area to describe her sandwiches & their "formules" (formula, or lunch meal specials). Finally, she has written in big bold letters on her window "English spoken here. Se habla espagnol." She also speaks German and Russian. Pretty amazing.

Being so close to our apartment, I've walked by there several times. I've gone in several times and we've had several sit down discussions. I've observed how she interacts with customers. She is friendly. She greets them with a smile, and sometimes offers a handshake. I don't want to say that this is not typically french, but I'd say she stands out from the crowd! I think it helps explain how she has grown her business so nicely over the past years.

So why sell? Because her son, who works at a reputable restaurant on the Champs-Elysée, is going to open a gastronomic restaurant. She wants to work with him on the project, as does her husband, a butcher by trade.

Colette's place has its pros and its cons. It has a very small seating area. During the day it seats up to 16 people sur place (dine in area). That's 16 people Paris-style (as in side-by-side, squeeze in to sit down & eat with your neighbor). I'd say it's really 12 people, seated comfortably. The kitchen needs a full upgrade (ie replacement), but its size is adequate . There is a basement, even bigger in surface area than the main floor, but it needs some serious electrical work, given its wires dangling absolutely everywhere. A "little" problem to fix...

Those obviously are some cons. On the positive side, her business is running well, as far as small businesses go. It's well organized & it's ready for taking over. It has potential to develop into something more my style.

I wish the store itself was bigger....in proportion to its asking price. We shall see. One thing is sure, however, at this point in time: low-priced, comfort food is selling well in today's turbulent economy.


:/dma

Sofia

Sofia is an energetic, very attractive, middle-aged women. She speaks with an accent that I later understand is Greek. She is the current owner of a traiteur/restaurant (catering company & restaurant) that she is selling because her husband wants her back, as she explained to Eric. Unfortunately, on my first visit there, she had told me she is selling because of stomach cancer. Yikes. I'm hearing all sorts of personal stories on this search. I can see why her husband is anxious for her to sell.

Her store is located on one of the city's most active, or should I say vocal, markets. It is abuzz with activity six days out of seven. Vendors are assertively trying to out-shout each other with the day's bon marché (deals). People from the neighborhood are buying their daily needs. Tourists can be spotted in the crowd, taking in the scene and trying to stay oriented. It's all hustle-bustle.

Sofia has been in business the past twenty years. She looked me straight in the eye and said, "you know when I arrived here, I could speak not one word of french. Not one word." And yet it appears that she has done very well for herself. Her storefront is small - it has a refrigerated counter that displays what she sells: hummus, olives, feta spreads, tarama, tabouli and other such greek/mediterranean/middle eastern "comfort foods". There are several tables in the room, also, that can seat up to 20 people. I see potential for private dining or private events at night, something she doesn't do at the moment. Her preference is definitely the catering side. The decor is pure greek: typical blue and white everywhere. (Another yikes.)

When I saw the kitchen for the first time, I thought I was going to die. Of excitement that is. The kitchen is bigger than the storefront!! It's big. Really big. AND, it has a cold room in the basement. What a dream. Except, the closer I look, the more I realize that it, too, has lots of "potential" and would need a lot of upgrading. However, letting the creative thoughts flow, I can envision running cooking classes here, and having the dégustation either in the dining room or even in the kitchen. I can also see using all that glorious professional cooking space for some serious production -- it's the most spacious and adequate kitchen I have seen yet (in proportion to the size of the business I'm searching for). Most kitchens in Paris are very small, miniscule even, and I can hardly understand how centuries of cooks have tolerated it! But somehow they have. This is one incredible kitchen, even in its current state.

Sofia wants to show us the wine shop a few doors down - to let us see how the owner has remodeled his space, and to give us an idea or two if we want. She knows everyone there - rounds of kisses to everyone. Even walking the short distance from her place to his, she's talking with everyone. She's like a magnet - everybody wants to talk with Sofia. Her smile is warm and wide, but even more so, it is sincere and amazingly light-hearted.

After the tour, including a visit upstairs to a small two bedroom apartment included in the monthly rent, we sit outside to soak in the atmosphere. The market is still abuzz. The early spring sunshine is a welcome relief and warms us up. She drops a plate off at the table, a sampling of what she makes and she insists we try. Very delicious! She wispered to me, "I'll show you how to do it all, but if you buy this place, you have to promise me you'll keep selling some of these things. My customers would never forgive me otherwise!" With a wink, she disappears. She's not really serious, but I can tell, she's hoping to find the right buyer as well.

This was quite unexpected - to find this spot I mean. It has great potential, great space, and I love the thought of having fresh produce at my fingertips absolutely every day!! It needs a lot of work to turn it into something "mine". Hummm...need to make a few more visits to figure out if it's right. Not sure if I see myself working directly on a market, and the store is located behind a stall of a market vendor...but who knows....will keep an open mind. It has potential.

Yvette

Yvette owns a small cafe/bar/restaurant on a quiet street in an even quieter arrondisement (district) in Paris. When I met Yvette, I immediately liked her. She is friendly, sincere, talkative, inquisitive, and she feels like family. In fact, she could be my french aunt! We instantly had something in common. She comes from Pau, where we were married six years ago. I think that touched us both, equally.

On my first visit, I walked in the door, and a man was standing at le zinc bar sipping a beer by himself, reading the newspaper. Nobody else was around. It was about 4pm. Yvette then appeared out of nowhere and we met for the first time. I started explaining why I was there - that I was searching for a small café or restaurant to potentially buy. I was a little relieved when the man left so that I could talk more privately with Yvette. Immediately, however, a lady walked in with a small dog in her arm. The lady's name is Paule. She gave kisses to Yvette & sat down in what appeared to be "her" seat. Her miniature dog took the opposite seat, and turned himself around in the chair to face the street, eager not to miss any of the activities. From that point forward, it was a conversation including three of us. No privacy here! But that's OK. Paule and Yvette were obviously good friends. They seemed to be about the same age: mid-sixties, give or take. I eventually learned that this was the case with most of her other customers as well (being good friends, I mean, although being in the same age bracket is probably true as well).

Yvette has been running this particular place for the last 18 years. It's an old place. Still untouched from decades ago, or more. Maybe a half century. It would need lots of TLC, but oh what potential! It feels like a well worn-in shoe. Behind the bar are all the small glasses and barware, but there is also the presence of one giant espresso machine. I'm practically sold on that machine alone! Such a serious looking machine. The seating area is small, and feels just right for what I'm looking for - it has 16 seats. She gave me a short tour of the place. When she showed me les toilettes (bathroom), I let out an uncontrollable "ohmygod". She said, "oui, un toilet turque" (yes, a turkish toilet). I couldn't believe I was still seeing one of these things. My first encounter with one was actually in Turkey about ten years ago. Let me just say that I preferred not going to the bathroom on that particular pit stop than to try such a crazy toilet! It was the most backward, foreign thing I had ever seen in my life! (For those not having the pleasure of seeing or using a turkish toilet, let me explain: it's basically a porcelain base set in the floor of a stall, or "bathroom" and it has a drainage hole. That's it. Sometimes, there are little feet positions outlined in the porcelain to give you a clue. Arguably, these are more sanitary than the standard pot toilet. And to the person who said this, I replied, rather sarcastically, "Right". )

Back to the tour. Next stop was to the cave (basement room). Two of them in fact. I felt awkward going down the stone stairecase. It is old, narrow, somewhat steep, and has a rope for holding onto instead of a hand rail. I could hardly keep up with Yvette! The basement is dry - a good sign. The floor is all dirt. Just like they all used to be. Her first cave is filled with her treasures -- her wine collection. Gevrey-Chambertins, Pouilly-fuissés, and of course, others such as Madirans and Jurancons from the soutwest region. I was dying to check out some of her old dusty bottles that must've been there for 18 years....but we couldn't get anywhere close to them with all the stuff in between. The other cave was used for soft drinks & beer. She stocks Leffe on tap and Duvel in bottle. A good sign. Back up the stairs, she is leap years ahead of me!

On to the kitchen. Another "ohmygod". Long and narrow and full of "potential". And sorely in need of a commis (assistant). She's a one-woman show and I don't quite know how she can do it. I couldn't. She pours the wine or makes the coffee at the bar, she seats the customers at the table, she takes the order, she prepares the meal, she clears, she cleans up and settles up the tab. She's basically open from 7am until closing (around midnight), 6 days a week. Did I already mention she's easily in her mid-60's?!

Eric came with me on the second visit to Yvette's place. We learned a bit more about each other. It turns out that Yvette arrived in Paris in 1958 to start working in a café, with three kids in tow. Maybe that puts her closer to 70? We had dinner there. It was a slow night for dining, but there were several men having un verre de vin (a glass of wine). Her customer base is almost 100% locals. Not many tourists crossing this particular street.

How to describe this cafe? Yvette is from the southwest, so her menu has magret de canard, foie gras, and other traditional fare. The lighting is harsh just like it used to be - it serves a function rather than providing ambiance. The wine is exceptionally good and ridiculously affordable just like it used to be. The food is hearty and enriching. But above all, the experience is rich. Not so much because of what we ate or drank (although good), but because of what Yvette did: she welcomed us into her home and treated us like family.

I love this old place. Need to make a few more visits to see if it fits my concept.

:/dma