Break in the Action

Just taking a little internet break before I disconnect everything tonight.  My apartment's about halfway packed.  Not bad.

As if I need more to do, invitations for my high school reunion have to go out this week.  And I still don't have a karaoke host.  It is mind-boggling the number of companies I've contacted that won't even extend the courtesy of a return phone call.  How do these people get business?  I did get an email from Arzu (of Grumpy's karaoke fame) last week, but her initial quote to me was $500.00.  Ouch.  She wrote back to let me know that she's willing to work with my budget, but I haven't gotten back to her yet.  For 4 hours of work, I was thinking half that.

I've been reading a lot about the smoking bans lately, in an attempt to get a better idea of changing revenues.  I hear a lot of chatter from both sides.  Somebody show me some hard numbers.

Some interesting real estate numbers in this Strib story about all the apartment-to-condo conversions.  I guess I didn't realize we were running so low on affordable rentals in this city.  All the foreclosure investors I know are salivating at the thought of a glitch in the market: banks get flooded with these dumped condos and investors pick them up by the dozens.  I've still got a toe or two dipped in the pool, so I guess that's eventually money in my pocket, too.  That is, if this bubble pops.

Comments

[Dave]

$500 for a "KJ" for the evening is actually pretty modest. I was a wedding DJ several years ago, and we charged far more than that without even offering karaoke. It's not just the cost of getting an entertainer to spend the night working at your party, but also the maintenance and insurance which goes into hauling all that electronic equipment all over town and setting it up for parties. I bet those guys go through microphones pretty quickly.

[john]

arzu has to pay for her wig somehow, you know.

[Jerry]

Hard evidence Alexis? Ask Roxy and Mary at Stasiu's Bar about their hours getting cut. Mary has 5 daughters, her hours has been cut to only 2 days a week. Roxy went from 3 days a week to only one day. We now only have waitresses on thursday - saturday nights only. There now is a chance Roxy maybe let go for the business on thursday nights is almost gone. Where are all you non-smokers that were supose to fill the bars? Look at You otta stop in Bar- 3 days of only $20.00 in gross receipts. This is a horrible thing that Mpls has done. How come they can't see there own mistake and try to keep the business in Mpls is beyond me. I am a non-smoker, and I feel it is up to the owners of the bars and restaurants if they want to have smoking or not. If you watch the news like ch.4, 5 or 11. They report that bars in all in Mpls are only down around 20%. What a crock! Do some reporting guys, really get out there and see and report the truth. Sure patios and decks are nice for now. What about this winter? We all might as well close up like resorts and open again in the spring. Be ashamed Mpls, be very shamed.

[Alexis]

Exactly, I want someone to show real numbers. I realize that asking for a media source to tell the 100% truth is like asking for a unicorn for Christmas. I see that Stasiu's is dead on the weekdays, but that's one of the few bars I go to, so I'd like to see what's going on all over the place, all the time. I'm especially curious to see how the Ramsey County bars that went non-smoking are doing. I doubt all the non-smokers are patronizing less now than they were before (that's not the case with me and my friends, anyway). I doubt they're affecting the bottom line at all. it's the smokers who have decided not to go out to the bars. Well, you know, except for Rick.