Jackson Heights Life

@missmarty,
      Sorry, not feeling any of those

I'm a big fan of that, but I'd be nervous about business during the winter months. Besides, I've already had three restaurants in the city, and really don't want the headaches of a food operation.

People spend $ on an experience now.  Coffee, food, cocktails,  gyms, wellness.  I also think a gym would work reallly well, especually something niche like crossfit, grace jiu jitsu, kickboxing.  You do not need a lpt of space for these types of gyms, nor a lot of overhead.    If you are unwilling to do food or drinks or welllnes, that leaves retail. I cannot imagine competing against amazon in anything retail.

That's a good point about competing with amazon. I was looking for shoes today, Timberland in particular at Modell's on 31st Ave. They didn't have what I wanted so I thought I would be better off getting them online.

@Dodger,
      Love that idea. But what comes to mind is BBAndB,being so close and also Win Depot. Both of which are great stores BTW for those who haven't been.

@ mango, you do need a lot of space for a gym, and besides, I couldn't compete with Blink and Planet with their $10 a month  membership or whatever it is. The insurance alone has to be astonishing

If you're not offering food and/or booze, you can't rely on the people's money at 10K/mo. you need to either somehow get a more affordable space* than a typical JH rental, or be able to tap into a much more lucrative income stream, like Medicaid.

If you want to get "rich" as you say, then buy a property and rent out space.

* maybe start thinking about a mobile business, something set up permanently in a truck, like a gourmet coffee truck...and please not like the burnt garbage that starbucks sells. Does selling prepared and packaged coffees rise to the level of food business that you mentioned? Also, people on this forum say they want fresh-daily breads. Purchase mini-loaves from local home-based bakers. Park wherever you can and text your location daily to your customers. Almost sounds like an adventure, no?

So what else do we need

A small space with no food/drinks that will absolutely turn a profit? That would be a bank. Everything else will require a concept and dedication that extends beyond this site. I think any type of business, even a bookstore, can work. A friend of mine opened a cookbook store in Greenpoint that is doing quite well. Had she gone on Greenpointlife and asked for ideas, I think it would have been voted down.

Sorry to be cruel but I think that the successful, original businesses we are all looking for are the kind that start with the idea and less with type of building the business has to go inside of.