Great article(the full version)! Definitely a motivating one!

I would have done the same thing to that pool hall. This reminds me of an idea I’ve had for year now:

An upscale swapmeet or as I like to call it an Artisan’s Marketplace.

This “Marketplace” would resemble the setup of a swapmeet with small boothsize areas for startup vendors to sell their goods/services, BUT..

- Vendors would be able to accept credit cards, etc. for a small monthly fee. No merchant account mess would be needed. My company would handle all that. Sort of how PayPal works. When you use PayPal, your bill shows up with “PayPal - Biz Name”.
- The entire “Marketplace” would have a theme and all booths would fit the theme. No picnic tables and lawn chairs.
- The “Marketplace” would have a nice food court
- At the end of the “Marketplace” would be a large performance stage for live concerts and other performances. This would be used during operating hours and used for larger concerts during non-operating hours.
- Larg parking lot to accomodate all visitors.
- Staff on-hand to ensure area remains in good state of cleanliness.

Repeat this entire concept in other cities and BAM! You’ve got a nice little business.