In just the relatively short time that we have been part of Eagle Mountain, we’ve seen many houses being built, new businesses come, and new retail locations open up. Unlike other cities in Utah, many of which have pioneer homes, buildings and shops, and older retail centers or downtown areas, many of Eagle Mountain’s businesses do not have locations within the commercial zones of the City. Rather than the typical hodge-podge of shops and locations for small and large businesses to fill in other cities, Eagle Mountain’s commercial spaces are only in the early stages of growth. For many businesses it is easier to be a home-based business even if they want to have a commercial or retail location. The cost to open a location coupled with the limited options both contribute to this trend.
Many businesses have found ways to partner with other small businesses to share space and sublease the commercial spaces that are available, such as those on our site. Just this week we spoke to a non-profit school who will be partnering with a church to have a location for their classes come fall. This space sharing solution was eventually found, but not without grit and hard work to find a location to meet their needs and on a time crunch before they wanted to start advertising and getting people registered.
Unfortunately at times, it is not so easy for businesses who are creative with their spaces, and this can cause cause conflict with landlords of commercial spaces. In the last week, we also spoke to an Eagle Mountain business owner about her experience with her landlord and the conflicts she has had in pursuing her business model in an environment that is not supportive of subleasing. Despite her efforts to be open and upfront about her space being shared and leased by multiple other small businesses, this has not shielded her from stressful and overwhelming challenges in her relationship with her landlord. Likewise another suite in her building has also had conflict with the same landlord about this, despite their communicating upfront their plan to sublease to another business one of their offices when they signed their lease. Additionally, the larger commercial spaces being built are at this time just not catered toward to accommodating the small types of businesses that many locals currently run out of their homes. Likewise, landlords often are seeking more established and larger businesses rather than the one-person show many home businesses run. I spoke to a realtor this week, who has piece of property for sale which they will build to suit a business, but rather than seeking multiple tenants, they only want a single business to occupy the space.
Just recently, Texturs started more actively pursuing plans to open our own commercial location. We want to increase the accessibility for other small businesses like ourselves, and having a physical location to share with others felt like our next step. However currently the challenges remain even for our business and at this time, a commercial location is likely not within our reach. But until we have our own location to hold classes and to support other small businesses, we hope that the resources found within our website will be helpful and help link you with your needs.
Solutions to these challenges involve not just monetary support from those with funds to build locations, in the forms of grants, loans, and gifts. However finances can be a major barrier; properties for sale are in the millions and small business loans require “small” down payments that are more money than some people are likely make in 30 years of working, saving and doing everything correctly. Likewise, leases are so high that not only have I seen multiple businesses already close that were in commercial locations, but I learned this week that one had their lease mercifully canceled by the landlord because of their business closing within a year of opening their location.
In order to find solutions, we must also actively advocate for those in positions power whether it be local government or places of influence to create commercial spaces that do not just consider the large businesses coming to Eagle Mountain. Rather we need to create shared spaces for businesses that are not able to afford, or use a full shop, or office, or building. While coworking does in a form meet some aspects of these needs, we believe small businesses also want to be able to have some ownership of the space they use. They want to have some kind of home-base within their work location to go back to even if some aspects are shared in order to make it affordable.
In conclusion, we look forward to the day when not just well-known companies open up shops in Eagle Mountain, but when we see many “Mom and Pop” shops that used to be home-based businesses come out of their hidden locations around the city and occupy the majority of Commercial Spaces in Eagle Mountain. We want to visit the bakery run by our neighbor in City Center’s Shopping Center. We want to attend Piano Lessons with the mother of my children’s best friend at her Piano store in the Ranches. We want to explore the passions and pursuits of my Unknown neighbor at their Train Shop in Monte Viste Ranch, and find like-minded people in a Book store run by someone’s grandmother in Overland. At Texturs, we are dedicated to creating more accessibility for other businesses and individuals and will continue our work to support Eagle Mountain as it makes its journey into the future.
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