100 years ago, when I was in college, I was out with friends and one of them brought an older sibling along. I was working at Jewel at the time and we stopped at a co-worker’s establishment. They had recently purchased an existing business, an Ice-cream shop.
The sibling who was a few years older, but the approximate age of the owners was unimpressed. Now as I recall the place did like someone puked cotton candy all over the walls. They were wall papered on the top half between mirrors and it paper changed on each wall. The lower wall I believe was painted yellow or pink. I also remember them having over 100 Smurf pvc’s for sale. Apparently, Smurf’s were a big deal back them.
Looking back the appearance of the place was not impressive. The ice cream was good; they had a decent brand being distributed to the shop. But I also remember the place not being overly clean. It probably was, but it was all older equipment and fixtures, all in need of a remodeling or a refresh. There also were the sullen 16 year old servers as well.
My co-workers bought in and made no changes. Their vison was to open a pizza parlor; I know this by the name of their corporation. But they settled for ice cream. The business lasted for a while before they closed it a few years later.
At the time, I was completely ignorant of running a small business, but I was intrigued by what they had accomplished. I strive to do better, much better with the appearance of my offices and the perception of our brand.