My predictions of businesses that will fail in near future.

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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As always, businesses open and close in santiago almost every month. Some businesses fail before they even open up to public. No one would go there because of location.
Anyway here are my predictions for businesses that will soon bite the dust.

Almost all the stores in las colinas mall are in danger of extinction. No one goes there and the business is close to dead for everyone. Even the movie theater is empty on weekends. The only store that is doing good there is the splash ice cream store. Even thats nothing to write home about. The supermarket is hurting badly. more than 1/2 the mall is still not finished and no body is renting there.

The bembe bar is santiago is doing bad and the only reason its still open is becasue the owner seems to have cash to burn.

friendly sandwich in plaza internacional is in a bad spot. This spot has a curse on it. No matter who opens up there, goes out of business. So I hope I am wrong on this one.

The new El mundo de Juguete is all empty. No cars in the lot, even on christmas days. Its a new huge mega toy store on bartalome colon. The electric bill alone will kill them. They better generate business soon or they are out.

The only reason Multicentre salvador is still in business is because the owner owns the shole property and uses no a/c. So his expenses are minimal. Besides, he sells fabric and fake brand clothes. I am sure he is not making a killing there at all.

the restaurants and discos which were doing bad are already shut down. Some are on the verge of collaspe. The bars seem to have people inside, but few people are spending money and buying drinks.

Mist, the disco in front of ahibar will soon bite the dust.

delta airlines will not be able to sustain atlanta - puerto plata route for a long time if they don't fill up those planes soon. The rest of the routes in DR are doing ok.

the businesses that will continue to do good in santiago are:
Ahi bar
Kukara makara
carrito de marchena
montebar
most stores in plaza internacional
francifol cafe on weekends
capreso in plaza optimus
pizza hut
dolce disco
etc
feel free to add to my lists.
AZB
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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It Is Always a Safe Bet,Betting That A business Will Fail In The DR!

MOST DO!
They are never sufficiently capitalized. If they borrow to open a business,the huge interest payments soon drive them out of business1
they open in the most desolate places they can find because the rent is less,and then complain they have no customers!When you drive from Santiago to Santo Domingo,how many closed businesses do you see? Do they actualy think that their "Parada" will be sucessful when 100 others have failed?
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AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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I just love to see dominican yorks, or dominicans who spent almost all their lives outside of DR and then return with cash to open up a stupid business that is guaranteed to shut down in short time. This happens so much that it sometimes bring tears to my eyes, from laughing out loud.
AZB
 

GeeDee

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Oct 27, 2007
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I just love to see dominican yorks, or dominicans who spent almost all their lives outside of DR and then return with cash to open up a stupid business that is guaranteed to shut down in short time. This happens so much that it sometimes bring tears to my eyes, from laughing out loud.
AZB

Why would you get joy out of seeing someone else try to do something to make their lives a little better for themselves and their families and then not succeed???:ermm:
 

cuas

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3 weeks ago while in a cab, the driver was argueing with his brother on the phone. His brother wanted to open a high class restaurant i do not remember what pueblo. The cabdriver was telling his brother Vas a fracasar. Dominicans in that pueblo do not care about high class just open a place and sell frias with loud music.
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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Why would you get joy out of seeing someone else try to do something to make their lives a little better for themselves and their families and then not succeed???:ermm:

It used to be sad before, but after you see these folks make so many ridiculous decisions to make businesses that are bound to fail you can't help but laugh in the end. they come here with this american mentality, if whatever they will open, will turn into a gold mine. the problem is, they come here with american Mindset.
These dominicans have lived so many years outside of DR that they have little idea of what is happening here at the moment. they are completely as clueless as the visiting foreigners. They speak good spanish so one would confuse them for a real dominican. Nop!
They usually have real contacts with barrio folks who also have no idea of what business to open if they had some money. So the same folks guide the incoming fresh dominicans from other countries, and advice them to open up businesses in bad locations and a business which is also bound to bite the dust: example: a restaurant (dah, hahahahaha), like all of them haven't gone bankrupt yet, a Bar, a carwash, clothing store etc etc.
They don't seem to realize that only a few bars and a few restaurants have survived in santiago, the rest of the businesses are only sufficient to let you make a basic living; not enough to pay for your american life style. Look at the colmado owners, you think they are making a killing? Do they own a car?
So when these gung ho type dominicans from outside this country come back with hefty cash bank balances and think they will take over this city by storm, we sit and watch them fall.
AZB
 

CFA123

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May 29, 2004
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AZB,
For what it's worth the owners of the sandwich shop in Plaza Internacional have arguably two of the more successful restaurants in Cabarete for a few years now. Very hard workers & seemingly business savvy. Granted - Santiago is a diff't market than the tourist areas...
 

Chip

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Jul 25, 2007
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We had been to Las Colinas a couple of times and they were pretty packed, it is sad to see that they are failing. The two things they had going against them were the location and prices. The prices seemed to be even higher than La Sirena and with the poor demographics in the area, they really need to have lower prices in order that the ave. Dom will justify paying for a carro to go there. If they can make that adjustment it could work because many locals will pay the carro fare to save a few pesos.
 

J D Sauser

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Nov 20, 2004
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I don't know Santiago too well, but I agree with 3 points easily, because it's blatant:

Kukaramakara will go on. It's a well organized operation, well run, we a fair price an quality. I have eaten there several times, and quality has staid constant.

Las colinas mall is a disaster in several ways: It's location does not relate to anything around, the inner layout is unattractive, especially the upper level. Yes, it will go to the dogs and I even heard rumors about Jumbo maybe pulling out of there(?).

Mundo del Jugete is way too expensive. Select items can cost a full multiple of what a comparable items sell for at Sirena, El Encanto and even Jumbo and Price Mart.

... J-D.
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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AZB,
For what it's worth the owners of the sandwich shop in Plaza Internacional have arguably two of the more successful restaurants in Cabarete for a few years now. Very hard workers & seemingly business savvy. Granted - Santiago is a diff't market than the tourist areas...

I am glad to see this business is well established in DR. My point was, the location of that spot. Don't know why, but a taco bell, a mexican food place and some other business has already tried that spot and failed. I am glad to see I am wrong on this case of this new venture.
AZB
 

Berzin

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Nov 17, 2004
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The same thing happens in NYC. I have recently walked 181st. Street in Washington heights and there were quite a few empty stores-not only there but in the surrounding area.

I also notice those little clothing shops that cater to the jevitos, with the stylish, expensive jeans and the knock-off Izod shirts that are "ALWAYS empty. How they stay open I'll never know.

I have a friend who owns a clothing store in the capital. She was telling me how she buys stuff for the store, and it is indeed very peculiar.

If its clothing that is in "la moda" and from NYC dominicans will buy it, but she says that her store never carries more than one of a particular item because dominicans do not like buying and wearing something that someone else may have.

So if she brings in some shirts, she never buys more than one of each style. Same with jeans and those little trinkets that the chicas love.

You really need to know your market and your target audience before you waste money on a business that has a good chance to fail.
 
Jan 5, 2006
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Last week I went to nice small cafe in La Vega. I was surprised that despite relatively high prices for DR and no alcoholic beverages being sold, the place was filled. IMO, this is due to a great location and a unique offering, which is something that a lot of places that fail, like Las Colinas Mall in Santiago don't have.
 
Sep 19, 2005
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I dont see how many of the clothes stores downtown stay open.

yes there are lots of people but the lions share of shoppers seem to be at the big discount stores where 500 pairs of cheap jeans lay all over the floor, and people are rooting through the stacks.

we went shopping for a specific pair of pants......almost impossible to find in her size and the style she wanted. A few stores wanted $80 for a pair of womens pants.....??? I know one brand was MUDD...but hey...$80!! and shoes $70-$100.....come on it is Santiago and it isnt some store in the uppper end plazas.....its small shops downtown no name..... and they have 4 or 5 girls working there...

I am wondering how what percentage of the downtown shoppers are in the market for $80 jeans???

I have bought similar stuff at malls here for Tavina before i came down, especially shoes....decent brands.. and they dont run to the prices i am seeing down there.

I would say that in a few stores in Los Colinas, we saw about the same number of shoppers that we saw in the better clothes stores down town.....of course nothing like what goes into La Sirena and Elcante( spelling?)

what i dont understand is how those vendors around the monument make money....I hada dish there.....it waslike dog food!

ground meat( I hope) and stale french fries in some catsupy sause covered in some cheap cheese. and I had to wait 20 minutes for it??? aweful!!

Seems lots of these vendors have oddball concoctions and use mayonase and catchup liberally with what ever they had lying around!!

( note to AZB....spare me the "your a chopo-gringo thats why comments..please)

bob
 

Chris

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Oct 21, 2002
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Bob, this is not AZB, but 'chopo-gringo thats why'.

I won't eat where they serve me something like "ground meat (I hope) smothered in catchup and mayo".

Perhaps you should prepare food and eat at home and only go out when you have a wack of money to spend on really good food. The fast food paradigm does not work unless you eat something really local --- aroz con pollo con salada verde -- sin queso -- con habichuelas - simple and anyone can make it and make it taste good. The ground meat business makes me really worried!
 

AZB

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Jan 2, 2002
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what i dont understand is how those vendors around the monument make money....I hada dish there.....it waslike dog food!

ground meat( I hope) and stale french fries in some catsupy sause covered in some cheap cheese. and I had to wait 20 minutes for it??? aweful!!

bob

Its called yaroa, a typical chopo food, sold in front of expresso jade (near hotel matum). All the barrio folks love to eat this garbage. Now Bob, if you don't like to be taken to these types of street joints, try changing your campany.:cheeky:

Now speaking of 80 dollars jeans: You would be surprised to see dominican just pay up when they need something. They don't care about the mark-up. My dominican girlfriends always pay this much for shoes and jeans. Of course they pay themselves, I would not pay 80 dollars for women shoes that have a manufecturing value of 5 dollars. I am always surprised to see my girlfriend always buys clothes and purses, extremely expensive, yet she just hands over her card and charges it on.
I buy my clothes in USA, of course on sale.
AZB
 

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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Maybe things are not as they seem?

Hm, whether Colinas Mall will fold or not is something that only time will tell.

In the mean time, a recent article in "La Informaci?n" (the local Santiago newspaper) published a story about Colinas Mall. You can access the story by clicking at the link at the end of this post, but here is the gist of the article:

  • After 2 years since it opened, there are 72 stores at the mall.
  • 19 new stores will open in December (I suppose before Christmas, but it doesn't say.
  • A new publicity campaign will be in place in December.

Whether there are 72 stores open, well the Santiago residents could tell us yes or no.

The fact that 19 new stores will open this month could be promising.

The new publicity campaign, however, could be a sign that business has been slow or, maybe, its a seasonal thing since businesses do tend to develop different publicity campaigns in different seasons.

La Informaci?n Online | Rep?blica Dominicana

-NALs:ermm:
 
Sep 19, 2005
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well we dont go out to those place to eat......I took my gfs mother to see the monument improvements as she hadnt seen them yet. Afte, my gfs cousin was hungery. Dont plan on eating there again.

I knew AZB would throw some barrio remark out.

obvioulsy AZB has eaten this garbage himself.

I can tell you my GF doesnt eat this crap either.......


that same trip we ate at one of the big resturants near the monument..it is the one NEXT to the one where they wear cowboys outfits.

I dont remember the name..the place wasnt cheap for two......I had chicken marsala.

didnt look or tatse like any chicken marsala I ever had before.....although Ill take it any day over the dogfood around the corner!

Tavina had the shrimp cocktail....it was mediocre at best..... I also had a sample of appetizers. The cheese balls were nasty....

I had 4 drinks Tavina had juice..

bill was over 2000 pesos

Nals: 72 stores OPEN???

Id say that is a huge stretch....if they had 20 stores open on the first 2 floors each....that would be a stretch...and if they has 5 stores oen on the third floor that would be a maybe.

72???

bob
 
Jan 5, 2006
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There's nowhere close to 72 stores opened in Las Colinas Mall. Their major problem is location and an offering that you can find at more convenient locations and better prices throughout the city.

BTW, my opinion of the better known restaurants around the monument (Kukara Makara and Montezuma) is that they suck! Granted that I've only tried each once, but they're centainly not worth going back.