Poll Results: The Southern Tier Has Spoken and These Are the Businesses You Want
Last week, we invited you to take our Poll Daddy poll on what businesses you'd like to see come to the area and fill some of the vacant storefronts, including the Toys 'R' Us building in Johnson City, and an overwhelming number of you did.
We got the ball rolling by offering four suggestions of businesses that might do well in the area and we also gave you the option of writing in your own choice. An astounding 868 people voiced their opinion and the clear winner was...Golden Corral with 39.63% of the vote.
Falling just behind Golden Corral was Trader Joe's with 25.69% of the vote, Chick Fil A with 19.35%, and Pottery Barn with 5.41%. "Other" took 9.91% of the vote and this is where we invited you to type in your own choice. The top three answers that you submitted were Hobby Lobby, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Ikea. Also on the list were Dave and Buster's, Billy Beez, Wonder Works, and a rock climbing business which just proves that this area desperately wants more play choices, both for adults and for kids.
So, what would it take to bring any one of these businesses to the Southern Tier? We did some digging and for the most part what we learned is that most would need to be bought, owned, and operated by someone in this area. The only exception was Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's offers consumers the chance to plead their case why a store should be opened in their area and I did just that.
If you'd like to submit a location request to Trader Joe's, you can do that here. If you're an entrepreneur and you've been thinking about opening up a new business or franchise in the Southern Tier, here's some information on how to make that happen with the most popular votes in our poll.
Chick Fil A
This restaurant would need to be locally owned and operated. Submit a request for franchise information here.
Ikea
Ikea is another business that would need to be locally owned and operated. Interested? To apply to become a franchisee, write a letter and send it to: Inter IKEA Systems B.V. ,Olof Palmestraat, 2616 LN Delft, The Netherlands, Attention: Franchising, IKEA Markets or fax it to +31 15 215 1395
Golden Corral
The business that landed at the top spot in our poll also needs to be bought, owned, and operated by someone in this area. Call 800-284-5673 or send an email to sales@goldencorral.net.
Hobby Lobby
Another popular vote in the write-in portion of our poll, Hobby Lobby requires a local owner. Want to learn more? Put in a request for information by filling out the form at https://www.hobbylobby.com/about-us/contact-us or call 1-855-329-7060.
Dave and Buster's
Sorry, Dave and Buster's isn't offering franchises in the United States right now.