What kind of business would thrive and help the islanders?

M & M Construction does build Force 10 on island. If I am ever in a position to build I will definitely go with Force 10 it is an incredible product.
I went to the open house and was not impressed. The solar part was broken and not functioning. The membrane itself is very impressive....that technology has come a long way and I will be researching that product more. I was not a fan of the type of structure they used (IMO Force 10 is far superior) and the finish work in the house was very poor.

betty, the rack at schooner bay is ok, not like the mag rack in pennsylvania i used to go to. hallmark, i just love evrything about them.
went to the open house too, i did not like the steps to the upstairs, no railings and not enough room at the top of the landing. im way too clumsy for that. drywall walls without a baseboard, not too cool. instead of wood for the decks i would have liked to see the new composit decks that are out.

Wow, thanks for the feedback on the open house. I kinda thought the price was too high also for a house with no view. But I guess the solar is supposed to even that out with having low or no energy bills. Of coarse I guess it could have a view on the second floor but that seems a little weak to me. I also wouldn't want to me that close to a busy road.

Glad to here M & M is still doing force 10, if we ever get enough saved up thats the way I want to go. I love the flexibility they offer and all that it includes.

As far as magazines go I used to get them incredibly cheap off of ebay. I'm talking $5 or $15 a year or for 3 years. But they seem'd to have stop doing that. So I go without.....I know everyone cry for me. :)~

My husband loves Hallmark, he loves chocskies but I hate anything extra I have to dust. 🙂

lol trade well i am just thinking nd i want to do something that can secure me a proper job anywhere i decide to live

Betty,have you looked into , How much per square foot with force 10 ?

I used to know but have long since forgot, it was on the lower end of the spectrum though. I want to say 200sq ft to 250 but really not sure. Normal spectrum is or was $150 to $300 a sq ft. Depending on your topography, cistern and foundation size, finishes and how much of the work you can do yourself.

The cost of doing business here stops stores like Hallmark or a good news stand. Not enough mark-up & if you've ever checked the price of the Sunday NY Times you'll see they wouldn't make enough to pay their rent much less the other stuff like WAPA but we can always dream! 🙁

Never understood why the Taco Bell didn't work out. Really nice people ran it & it was right by the high school but maybe it was just too soon since probably at that time a lot of the teens weren't as familiar with that kind of food.

now i did really think the house was cute, cept those darn steps. reminded me of a saltbox from up north. of course the living room was a bit too small, all of the other room sizes were good..
used to be able to buy single issue magazines from an online source that does not seem to be working any more. was called readallaboutit.biz. loved that site. i think on amazon you can now buy single issues but not really sure.

Are you talking about the odd looking house that just went up> Sort of odd shaped boxey?

(translated from Zombie language, normally it's just grunts and growns...)

taco bell...Taco Bell...TACO BELL.....!!!

You may think that we Zombies eat brains, well, maybe sometimes when the mood hits us...but we thrive on Taco Bell!!!

Me also likes boxey shape houses.

terry, sounds like the one painted green

The green house. I watched it being built. It's styrofoam panels with steel reinforcement that join togrther. It appeared to be pre engineered as window and door openings were in the panels.

It didn't appear to be that strong the way it was fastened to the deck. The foam is covered with a stucco plaster. The quality of the work is just ok. The solar aspect is intriging with the large membrane solar panel, it wasn't working when I last saw it.

The design seems out of place but that could improve if similiar houses were built nearby. 495K seems a bit steep for the square footage and location. You can see some blue from the 2nd floor.

I prefer the west indian design.

A bowling alley!!!!!!!! The only one on the island now is in disrepair and not run well. The church that owns it wants to lease the space which includes a restaurant, bowling lanes, and game rooms.

I would like to see an old cafeteria style rest. down town. The kind you get your tray and push it on a conveyor and pick out what you want. good home cooked food. It would be fast, simple and cheap (hopefully). People who work down town everyday do not have the time to always sit and wait for good. And get tired of the same ole same ole.

We certainly do not need anymore jewelry stores.

I have a great idea of a business but keeping it a secret for now. May pursue it myself. (sorry)

Also how about a reliable dog sitting service. Stay in house or you hire a team of trustworthy people to help out.
There is a shortage of dogsitters, housesitters.
You may have to be bonded but something that is needed and i would think easy to start.

Dixiechick.....The Sugar Mill Veterinary Clinic, aka Sunshine foundation, has a dog sitting/doggie day care type business now that you can drop your dog off at daily... just as if it were child care. 🙂 As for at home dog sitters that stay with your pets while you go on vacation... there are several on island. They may not be official "businesses" but there a quite a few people who house sit/dog sit. They are pretty busy tho. The person who does mine for me is fantastic. I think my dogs are actually dissappointed when I come home (and I spoil them plenty enough) 🙂

As for a cafeteria style restaurant... its not in town but the Hospital has a great, subsidized cafeteria! You should try it out. They've got a nutritionist on staff as well as chefs and they've even won awards!

This is all on STX... don't know what STT has!

The STT hospital also has a subsidized cafeteria that many folks enjoy, but it isn't downtown.

what about a skating rink for kids, i guess they call them inline skates these days. back in md they were very popular for the kids and even had bday parties at the rink

They tried a new business here last year that targeted children's entertainment... The Fun Zone which had several interactive games and a 'miniature' chucky cheese type atmosphere. Didn't appear to go too well as a business. A lot of disrespect for the equipment, stuff started breaking, unsupervised children, etc. I'm not sure that it is succeeding as a successful money making business althought it is still open I think.

The miniature golf course here is another one I'm wondering if it will succeed. Great idea, but difficult to make money at I. Maybe I'm wrong... parents are willing to spend a lot of money on entertainment for kids. Liability and Maintenance costs are probably sky high and a few bad kids ruin it for all the ones that otherwise would be enjoying it. As much as we need educational, active things to do on this island for kids... I would be hesitant to start a kid oriented business because of rampant disrespect for other peoples property, the litigeousnous of our society, and the high cost of maintenance. Sad... but true.

Another business I think would do GREAT here is actually an independent/assisted living center. I'm not talking about a 'nursing home', I'm talking about a complex where active seniors, with some means, could move to and have the benefits of a common dining area, recreational activities, shopping, medical shuttle services, entertainment etc., but also the freedom , depending on their abilities, to have their own kitchen, car, etc and remain independent.. Something real nice! I'm sure it would qualify as an EDC, would employ local residents for groundskeeping, restaurant, minor in-home assistance, drivers, etc. This is big business in the states and there is nothing like it here. Just a thought.

From what I have heard, the Taco Bell went out of business shortly after the high school stopped allowing the kids off campus during lunch. I guess it was a very large percentage of the business.

I'm not saying you're wrong but I never saw kids hanging out there after school either which is the time I always went there. They sure always crowd the McDonald's & Bo Peep. It's too bad that the building is still sitting there unused & boarded up.

limetime: I am not sure if you mean on St Thomas or St Croix, but the Lucinda Millen Home on St Thomas is actually an assisted living center. I think the problem with having a non-government one is that local people want free housing and those people "of means" are going to get to the states for such amenities. BTW, there is no Medicare-Medicaid certified skilled nursing/long term care on St Croix. The LTC is a problem since Medicaid beds in the territory are capped at 20 for 120,000+ population. Seaview keeps those full with a long waiting list...

Thanks Betty .

Think local..act global.

How 'bout a biz that utilizes the excess of Heineken and the like of bottles on this island. It obviously costs way too much to send our reusable trash someplace else, so let's figure a way to productively use it here. Why not combine concrete and glass to form blocks to use for perimeter walls? Why not find a way to utilize palm tree waste to make a bio-degradable packaging product to replace the crappy Styrofoam we all wind up at home with? Why not find a way to shred tires to the correct size to use for bases for our roads? Or even better, why not do what Sea World does with used tires, and create a dyed roadside, non-corrosive, non-erosive mulch that would eliminate our DPW tending to trimming on a weekly basis.
We have a lot of by-product here, and the majority of it has potential for a second life.

Here in AZ they grind up the tires and mix it with asphalt for the highways. It lasts longer and is much quieter.

Find a good use or Tan Tan.:D

I've seen processes that take used paper and, with a bit of binder, make blocks that are as strong as concrete. Might be a good investment, both financially and for the environment of the islands.

One might even get a grant to help set up the business.