It is often the case that bookshops and the like are not paying commercial rent. Either the shop-owner owns the building or the actual owner is happy to charge them less than commercial rates.
The building may also be have problems that prevents the owner renting it out to a "full price" tenant.
This is the majority of the ones that I personally know of - the shop-owner IS the building owner, and runs the bookstore as a personal side-project they enjoy.
If you can avoid rent/mortgage, many businesses suddenly become viable. If you have to compete with other rent payers, many businesses die, and the street becomes nothing but bank offices, lawyer offices, and maybe a Starbucks.
Comments
It is often the case that bookshops and the like are not paying commercial rent. Either the shop-owner owns the building or the actual owner is happy to charge them less than commercial rates.
The building may also be have problems that prevents the owner renting it out to a "full price" tenant.
This is the majority of the ones that I personally know of - the shop-owner IS the building owner, and runs the bookstore as a personal side-project they enjoy.
If you can avoid rent/mortgage, many businesses suddenly become viable. If you have to compete with other rent payers, many businesses die, and the street becomes nothing but bank offices, lawyer offices, and maybe a Starbucks.