章節 129: The Shopfront
In the afternoon, just after buying groceries, Jake received some good news from Alan. Someone was looking to sell a decent shop location.
"What's the situation with the shop?" After meeting up with Alan, Jake headed to the location of the shop together.
"The shop has two floors, with over a thousand square meters of space. It's quite spacious. I know the owner of the shop. Besides this shop, he has other businesses as well. He's been facing some financial issues lately and wants to sell the shop," Alan explained.
"And the price?" Jake asked. With over a thousand square meters of space and a decent location, the price probably wouldn't be cheap.
"The transfer fee is five hundred thousand dollars, and the annual rent is three million dollars," Alan said. "If you, Master, want to buy it directly, the price is thirty million dollars, and the money must be paid in full upfront."
"The price is that high?!" Jake came to a halt when he heard Alan's quote.
Earlier, Jake thought he struck it big by selling a piece of purple sandalwood for almost ten million dollars. Now he realized that amount of money was really not much. It wasn't even enough to cover half the cost of purchasing this shop.
"This is already a friendly price. If I weren't acquainted with him, the price would be even higher," Alan said.
Jake nodded, feeling a bit bitter. After searching for so long, he finally got news about a shop, but he hadn't expected the cost to be this high. Even if he sold himself, he wouldn't have that much money. Nevertheless, no matter what, he still had to take a look. After all, looking didn't cost money, right? Alan hailed a taxi, and they headed to the location of the shop.
"Huh, why does this place feel so familiar?" Jake was slightly surprised as they got out of the car.
It wasn't until he saw Kailomen's massive and familiar sign not too far away that he realized where the sense of familiarity was coming from. It turned out that the shop Alan found was not far from Kailomen. The two shops faced each other across the street, with a distance of no more than a hundred meters.
No wonder Alan said the location of this shop was quite good. Even compared to the Solamachi Plaza, the difference wasn't that big.
Alan led Jake into the shop. It seemed that this shop used to be a restaurant. Although the doors were open, there were no waitstaff or customers inside—only a middle-aged person with a shrewd appearance waiting for Jake and Alan.
"Alan, you finally came," the middle-aged man greeted Alan as he approached. "How about it? Have you considered the shop? Just so you know, there are quite a few people interested in renting or buying this shop. If it weren't for our acquaintance, I would have sold it to someone else already."
"Thank you in advance, Mr. Gage," Alan replied. "But it's not me who's interested in buying this shop; it's my master."
"Master?" Gage glanced unconsciously at Jake next to Alan.
Seeing Jake, who looked quite young and had just entered with Alan, Gage assumed that Jake was Alan's apprentice. He hadn't thought that Jake would actually be Alan's master. Alan's master was this young? This must be a joke.
"Hello, Mr. Gage. I'm Jake," Jake said, extending his hand and speaking up. "Can I take a look at this shop first?"
"Of course," Gage replied. "Please allow me, Mr. Jake, to show you around."
"Thank you, Mr. Gage," Jake said.
Gage led Jake and Alan on a tour of the entire restaurant, including both its upper and lower floors as well as the kitchen. Honestly, aside from the steep price, Jake was quite satisfied with the shop.
Here was originally a restaurant. If he rented or bought it, with a bit of renovation, he could start business right away. It would save a lot of trouble, avoiding the need for major reconstruction.
"How is it? Mr. Jake, are you satisfied?" Mr. Gage asked.
"I am satisfied, very satisfied," Jake said. "However, about the price, Mr. Gage, could you make it a bit cheaper?"
"This price is already quite low. You've seen the location of this shop. The foot traffic around here is certainly not low, the space is not small, and the decoration is also good. If it weren't for my acquaintance with Alan, the price would be even higher," Mr. Gage was firm on the price.
"Mr. Gage, if I'm not mistaken, your restaurant's business might not be doing well," Jake glanced at Kailomen across the street and said, "From the looks of the decoration in this shop, you're clearly targeting the high-end market. Kailomen is just across the street from you, and the two of you are in direct competition for customers.
Kailomen is well-known throughout J City, with a bustling business every day. It's difficult to secure a spot without a reservation, which naturally impacts your business here. I think this might be one of the reasons you're eager to sell. Every day you delay, you're losing money."
Mr. Gage's expression changed slightly because Jake's analysis was accurate. He had opened his restaurant here to compete with Kailomen, but he had lost. His business was greatly affected due to Kailomen, and the money he earned each day barely kept him from incurring losses. For a location like this, not making money was essentially equivalent to losing money. Additionally, he needed funds for turnover lately, which led to the idea of selling this place.
"Mr. Jake, your observation skills are quite impressive," Mr. Gage said. "Even if what you say is true, I could still easily sell this to someone else. If you can't meet my requirements, I don't necessarily have to sell to you."
"Then who would you sell to?" Jake smiled. "If you sell to someone else who isn't in the restaurant business, you'll have to handle everything here. Moreover, it will cost a significant amount of money for a complete renovation. It will take time and money for the reconstruction. The other party might not agree with Mr. Gage's price, and the process might be further delayed."
"How do you know the other person won't be in the restaurant business?" Mr. Gage said defensively.
"In the restaurant business?" Jake's smile deepened. "Right across the street is Kailomen. How many people have the courage to compete with Kailomen? And Mr. Gage, your situation is right in front of you. How many people dare to try again? Of course, I don't mean to mock you, Mr. Gage."
Mr. Gage's expression turned a bit unsightly. In fact, the reason he wanted to sell this shop to Alan wasn't due to any personal connections. People like them, who are in business, don't put too much emphasis on personal connections. Profits are what matter most. He knew that if Alan rented or bought the shop, it would definitely be used for the restaurant business. This would save him from undergoing major changes, and he would still be able to sell at a good price. If sold to someone else, the place would need handling, and renovation and reconstruction would be essential. In that case, the other party would certainly haggle over the price, and it would only go lower.
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