Car Wash Market in Maine

From: Lance (State Demographic Study)
Date: 30 Jun 2003
Time: 22:29:40
Remote Name: 66.82.48.1

Comments

Having family from Maine and towns named after our family there, it is of specific interest. Some of the areas are a little tattered as are many small towns in America. Small town Americana has been hit hard. Many boarded up small businesses which makes you want to cry, however realizing all the while that the evolution of business has lots to do with survivial of the strongest and ability to adapt along the way with the direction and flow of monies as consumers vote with their dollar. During our last trip we discussed crime with many police people and a police chief from Augusta, Maine. In some places such as Ellsworth near Bar Harbor there was a situation where Opium was being used by locals, which is coming from across the pond, an unfortunte import product, which needs to stop. One city has determined it needs to have avialable to drug rehabs a substitute. For history on this issue: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heroin/etc/history.html ---- There are also situations were things become missing from garages which is not normal for Maine at least not in this decade. Mostly crime is not an issue in Maine although there are pockets of it. Portland is okay and keeping pace on it's economic recovery. Areas where there are rural towns have never really recovered from the recession which compounded the closing of all the Mills a couple of decades ago. As textiles moved to Mexico with NAFTA and are now moving to China which has destroyed Monterrey Mexico if you ever get a chance to go there. This is not dissimilar to problems we are seeing in Oregon with timber mills, steel mills, or mines in Northern and Southern AZ, or Mines in ID, MT, WY. Also similar to those towns which had a massive amount of small farmers who lost everything through the depression or due to droughts or onset of Corporate farming. It is a situation and places like; Auburn and Lewiston were especially hurt when the Unions increased costs to above the world demand price point and proprietors moved their operations and partnered with out of country locations. A good book to read which might affect your thinking on this is; "Rise and Fall of Textile" But these issues are similar to the issues discussed in "Collision Course" discussing the glut in supply and manufacturing at GM. We all know that story and the Japanese Cars and Demming's warnings. Much of this is sector rotation and unexpected false sense of potential recovery, there was no excuse for the cities not to move with the flow and change with the times, although even the Old Winslow Mills in Winslow Hills Maine are all closed as are Cooper Mills in Cooper Mills, Maine and so many others. Portsmouth is doing well being so close to the NH side and influence from larger towns such as Portland Maine, tourism in Kinneybunkport and the New Hampshire hub cities of Concord, Manchester and Salem/Lawrence/Haverhill. In Bangor business is just okay and in other areas along the major highways of the rural inner Maine such as along the 2 and 302. Those areas where they have the benefit of the FWY 95 are fortunate and have additional travelers to help. Lots of French Influence in Maine and lots of old history which tends to draw the tourists up from NYC, NJ, CT, MASS for the day or weekend sometimes during the week as the weather is much better now as I am told. The Winter hurt all of VT, NH, ME, MA, CT, NY this year, it was not horrible, but it was harsher than the past four years and it lasted longer. The Strawberries were planted late and specialty crops did not get a good go in the Spring so perhaps a smaller yield and this is bad since they need the extra yields to make up the past situations with droughts and economic problems. Some of the New Hampshire businesses in manufacturing and those smaller manufacturers in Maine are calling the economy a Train Wreck. Speaking of train wrecks, The Trolley Museum in Arundel tells of slower than normal spring/summer time attendence from tourism, but tourism, travel, Marine Industry, Ferrys, etc are making hay now. Fishing has been discouraged and fish prices and lobster tails are getting a little on the high side from normal, is the Ocean Fished out, lots of complaints. Maine has friendly preople and they are survivors and clearly are amongst the most loyal Americans. They are not complaining, but could use a little regulation help and a red magic marker committee to take away some of the rules and laws that hamper growth of industry. As far as city budgets, there are issues we are concerned with there too, having the cities raise fees to help budgets will effect people, even worse is the volunteer and dedicated citizens who really care and are working hard to keep the community tight are not recieving the flow to thier non-profit groups with proper budgets. We are concerned because that is clearly what makes Maine so wonderful. We believe a Franchise in Portland will serve us well and the city as well. Specialty equipment will be needed due to space and increased traffic issues downtown. Augusta is a no brainer and it could easily support a few units there, and perhaps a jaunt three days a week to Waterville, Maine. Bar Harbor would be a killer local for a Detail Guys http://www.detailguys.com . Bangour, we are cool with if they can get over with their Wal-mart fight, they are working hard to stop the plan, but they are plowing the fields and leveling the ground, Wal-Mart is coming in, like it or not, what will it do to downtown? Hard to say, but those who compete with them in everything from Oil Changing to Garden Tractors will definitely go out of business. A Super Wal-Mart will be an issue and Bangor, Maine is going to have to readjust before Winter sets in, because next Spring, Super Wal-Mart will be going great guns. The issues with Maine also for a mobile car wash include the Winter Snow Birds running for shelter in SC, NC, GA and FL in the Winter. This takes down the number of people and their money is spent elsewhere, which maybe okay if our franchisees in Maine run some of their units in FLorida in the Winter time. Which is fine with us as you know.

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