In the late 19th century, downtown Hudson started to develop into what it is today. With 100 independently owned, regional and national chain retail shops and restaurants, Hudson has something to suit everyone’s taste and style.
Although downtown Hudson provides a great range of stores that customers can choose from, there is a strange problem with most of the stores that are rented; they close down within a short span of time, from five years to even just one.
In less than a decade, over 12 shops in downtown Hudson have been rented and then closed within a short period of time. These stores include Olympia Sports, Peach Tree, Main Street Cupcakes, Jaipur Junction, Lululemon, Nicky Nicole Boutique, Nestle Toll House, Winds of Change Boutique, Comida and more.
Just recently, Winds of Change Boutique closed down after five years in downtown. The Main Street store had many styled clothes, shoes and jewelry. There is another Winds of Change Boutique in Chagrin Falls that has been open since 2003 and is thriving and still in business. The Hudson location was doing well for many years as well, with frequent customers coming inside to buy their clothing products. But this past year, customer service started to slow down, causing the store to close altogether.
Two other stores that have closed in downtown Hudson within the past year include Comida and Nestle Toll House.
According to Douglas Trattner from Scene, Head Chef Brandt Evans opened Comida in 2019. This modern Mexican restaurant replaced Luchita’s, another Mexican restaurant.
On Sep. 30, the restaurant officially closed, and Evans sent one final message across his social media platforms on behalf of Comida.
“All of us at Comida would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to for almost five years of memories and patronage. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us, it has been our pleasure to serve the heart of downtown Hudson.”
Nestle Toll House has also been closed in the past year, similar to Winds of Change Boutique and Comida. This cafe opened on Dec. 17, 2020, and closed on Aug. 20, 2022.
On Nestle Toll House’s Facebook page, many previous customers commented below their final post on Facebook stating how disappointed they were that the cafe was closing. One of these people included Caleb Thusat.
“I wish rent could be affordable enough for more unique businesses and shops to make it here. One of the reasons we moved to Hudson was the potential of the downtown, but business after business is failing,” Thusat stated.
Thusat and previous customers from Nestle Toll House aren’t the only people who feel like this. Many people who live in Hudson believe that these stores are getting closed down within a short span of time because they can’t pay off the expensive rent.
As claimed by Commercial Search, the average rent for a 900-square-foot store on North Main Street in downtown Hudson is $2,300 a month.
However, the rent in downtown Hudson for a 900-square-foot store is actually less than the average rent for a 900-square-foot store in Ohio, which would be $2,625 per month.
Since the rent isn’t so much the problem in downtown Hudson, the problem is most likely from the products sold within the stores.
“The items that are sold at the stores are too expensive for the average person to buy and they rarely have any sales!” Gabrielle Shainoff, a senior at Hudson High School, exclaims.
According to the recently closed Winds of Change Boutique’s website, a pair of vintage flare jeans is $84.99. At Kohl’s, customers can get those same pair of jeans for around $48.
Some of these closed stores, like Winds of Change Boutique, most likely had their downfall through their expensive products. When a store makes the prices higher on products, there is a lesser chance that customers will buy them.
Senior Vice President of Strategy and Business Development Jim Yashnyk, has worked at Dave’s Cosmic Subs for six years. Dave’s Cosmic Subs in downtown Hudson has been around since 2002.
Yashnyk believes that the main reason stores in Hudson are opening and then closing in a short span of time is because of the customer service.
“At the end of the day, the customer’s are what pays the bills. When you give great customer service, the customers will want to come back.”
Not only does Yashnyk mean lowering the prices for customers, but he also means the customers should be satisfied by the products in the store and by the employees as a whole.
So, what can Hudson stores do to change their inevitable doom of closure? Perhaps if they were willing to lower prices and focus on the customer experience, their odds of staying open would increase. It may be difficult to maintain a business in downtown Hudson, but it’s still worth a shot for those who think their business ideas and products will have a connection with the consumers of Hudson.
To all aspiring downtown Hudson shop owners, best of luck as the odds may be stacked against you.
