Business idea for you?

We all know it's a tough economy, right?  It seems to be a recurring conversation for me with lots of friends, colleagues, associates, etc. lately, so here you go today--a business idea for you that could, if not should work.

Did you see where Borders Books is filing bankruptcy for protection from creditors and is closing 200 stores?

Well it is.  More of the not-pretty business news lately.

It seems one of those 200 stores is right up the road in little old St. Joe, Missouri (my hometown, coincidentally).  Now, I didn't any longer care to live there and I've come down the road to KCMO and its environs but if you were so inclined to either have a shot at a successful business with a pretty good certainty that it would work and/or if you ever wanted to own and run what should be a successful bookstore, this might be your chance.

According to the 2009 census, St. Joe has 76,222 inhabitants.  Some, if not lots of them have to read.  And some, if not lots, of those same folks aren't yet on some computer book reader, too, I'd have to say.

Once Borders closes, I believe there is only one other bookstore and it's a Hastings Bookstore which is far more cards, video, audio (music), magazines and other entertainment, with books as a smaller segment of their business.

So there you are.  There's your possible business plan for the day.  I'm not issuing any guarantees of course, since there are no guarantees in life or, for that matter, in business, but it does seem like it might work, if you can live and thrive in St. Joe.

Best of luck to ya'.

(If you do it, yours truly can help you with the furniture/furnishings for it, too, by the way, but that's a different matter.  I swear this note is a complete afterthought at the last moment, too.)  

Links:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph,_Missouri
http://www.google.com/#sclient=psy&hl=en&site=&source=hp&q=population+of+St.+Joseph%2C+Missouri&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&bav=on.1,or.&fp=681127d0c6f645aa
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/16/AR2011021601631.html