work

Lot of competition.

PH

I don't know firsthand, but my sense is that the licencing process would be more time consuming and beurocratic than you might expect. Not that you shouldn't chase your dreams, just do as much research as possible, so you know what to expect.

stt By beurocratic ,do you mean getting a license, or finding a space, or what?

I mentioned beurocratic with reference to the licencing, which involves the government. Again, I have not ever applied for a business licence or a food and liquor licence, so I don't know firsthand. My "testimony" is complete hearsay, but there are a thousand stories around about licence applications being lost, or in a stack on a desk of a person who doesn't even work there anymore, or destroyed by rain (huh?). Similarly, getting a driver's licence or licence plates for a car can take multiple trips to the various offices over the course of a few days. If it takes 3 or 4 days to do something simple like these (which would take what, an hour, in the States?) then I assume doing something big like getting everything you need for a bar or restaurant might take considerably longer.

Psudo-governmental things are also somewhat slower and more beurocratic here. For example, when you go to get a phone, they expect YOU to know the phone number of the residence or business physically closest to where you want service. Apparently, this is needed to determine the best routing for your new number. I guess you are supposed to knock on your neighbor's door and ask them their phone number before you head down to the Innovative office. And getting your service might take a day, or it might take 6 weeks. You never just know.

I assume finding the space would be a private matter, like a real estate transaction. There would be a process to that as well, but since it is done my mostly private entities, I think you could expect that to move along at a pace only a little slower than that in the States.

Again, I don't think that it can't be done, or that you should give up your idea. Just do a ton of research before you start, so that if you decide to move forward you can do so as effeciently as possible.

Pam: To add to this discussion...having a beach bar would definitely be at the top of the list of Caribbean dreams, along with a nice little bed and breakfast!! You might want to spend some time here, looking around at the various properties, talking to operators, finding owners, etc. Most of the beach bars on St Thomas are affiliated with, if not owned by, the hotel on the beach. It would be nigh on to impossible to build a beach bar on a beach that doesn't have one! Again, come down, do your research and have fun... And I almost forgot, read about Norman Paperman's trials in "Don't Stop the Carnival", written in the early 60's by Herman Wouk, but still valid today.

Hello Pam,

Not sure which island you are focusing on however your question about availability - well on St. Thomas many beaches are "hotel" beaches - yes they are all public beaches however many have hotels on the surrounding property and pretty much all the hotels have beach bars or bars relatively close to the beach - I don't know whether the beach bars at all the hotels are hotel owned and operated or whether the spots are leased out to private people who own and operate the bar. That you would need to find out. On St. John many beaches are National Park and then you have two hotels on beaches and they have bars relatively close to the beach. On St. Croix there are quite a few remote beaches or quiet... and then hotels on beaches with bars. So I quess the thing you need to find out is whether the bars are hotel owned or whether they lease the spots.

What other questions did you have?

--Islander

In researching myself, I did see a tiki bar for sale on Stx. I believe it sold already because it is not in the current mls listings or the real estate guide, I checked for you last night. It was the business only so it would have been "leasing the beach area". It was being sold for 150t including current stock, furniture and the license. Now, establishing the business is another thing. I can't think of the site know, but search around on this site in the business section and you'll link to the licensing bureau somehow. You have to get an annual license to have a pool table for instance. Establishing you're business is going to be time consuming with a lot of paperwork. From my visit last week though it can definately be done. There are many many businesses there in all sorts of secters.

I would begin with researching commercial properties in the mls listing. Work on finding an established bar for sale...
www.honnie.com stx mls section for all the islands on the top navigation bar of her website.