Well the VK is a place I like but maybe you don't, but have you tried the Miss Wakefield diner, or Peaches in North Conway, and there is a new place in the parking lot across from Peaches that has HOME MADE, from scratch (not a mix), bearnaise sauce for the egg benedict. . . wow was it ever good . . .

really
 

Really??? I've always thought there is no shortage of great breakfast spots. They're everywhere.
IMO, you just can't miss at George's... you will need to wait in line on weekends. And, no it's not because there is no where else to go (Sunshine and Pa's is right next door). It's because it is THAT good.
And Village Kitchen...also a can't miss spot. Great everytime, and fantastic employees. Don't know how he trains them, but it seems they're really dialed in on how to handle the over flow crowds. Really seem to make everyone feel welcome. Very upbeat poeple.
One other great breakfast spot worth mentioning is Kitchen Cravings, over near the airport. A million things to choose from, and a touch more formal than your average diner. Just stay away from the half tables...what foolish things they are. And, if you go there, seriously, you have to check out the rest rooms. Sorta like they hired an interior decorator to do them.

Natureboy you must be used to eating bark
 

SA you nailed the three I thought of right away. If you aren't happy with breakfast from any of those three i am not sure what you are expecting.

Boating Baskets
 

I think the region needs a service to pair boaters with the restaurants that will package a cooler full of tasty dishes. Matter of fact I'm so sure, I just got the domain name BoatingBaskets.com

I'll put it online soon to provide boaters the ability to find and order a basket from any participating restaurant. If you would like a specific restaurant to expand its service to you via this channel, please encourage the restaurant to contact me soon to be included. The restaurant will be able to maintain a description of all baskets they offer. The boater will be able to order via a mobile friendly format. This will provide access for boaters from any web capable handheld device (cellphones on the water) when they have service. There is no charge for restaurant participation. Interested restaurants can contact me via email to [email protected]

Just got this on Merchant Circle. We def. need a convenience store. Good news I think.

We are reopening Townsends Market. We are going to offer the best subs, pizza and dinners you'll find in the area. Full service deli convenience store items lottery and more Please check us out on Facebook also, Let us know what you need us to do to make this relationship work. Home of the "Awesome Steak Bomb "

Tilton and Concord seem like a hike to me especially with gas prices being what they are now. I can see places around this area that would be good for some of the Tilton Stores.

Something for the 20-something crowd
 

This area is lacking anything of interest for those people who are in the their 20s. In my personal opinion, this is no place for someone coming out of college to live because of the lack of a social environment basically because there are no opportunities for social interaction. There needs to be a place where people in their 20s can openly meeting other people in the area, outside of the bar situation. Everything closes so damn early around here, but in all seriousness, we need something open pass 12am in the morning (YES I know businesses must stop selling after a certain time, but come on!).

A nice lounge type place would be nice, maybe some place has special events throughout the week or on the weekends. Have a restaurant, like a dinner or something, open 24/7 or have a recreation center open during the evening/night hours (I don't get out of work until 9 or 10pm so I would be cool to go and shoot hoops or something with people).

What about something that incorporated a lot of these ideas. Kind of a private club that also provided a high end gourmet restaurant, cigar lounge, and office services. Similar to the 100 Club in Portsmouth. There could be a board room for meetings, secretary(s) and computer/video conferencing equipment, and maybe a locker room for storage of private, hard to find, wines, liquors, cigars or other personal products. Limousine service for airport runs and so local "designated driver" needs were met. Additional services for members could include a concierge service for trip bookings and lake needs, and a winter cleaning, maintenance service for checking on vacant properties. Maybe even a spa/massage services.
Would there be a need for this? Maybe a Guilford location, close to the airport? Kimball Castle perhaps. On the 20 plus acres surrounding the castle you could put high end cabins for visiting guests and business associates, that you want close but not too close.
What would be the value $$ or this type of service? What would be the interest level?

Freedom Boat Club
 

I'd love to see a Freedom Boat Club type of business up there!

boating club
 

Do you think a freedom boat club would work on the lake? I always was intrigued with the idea of no maintenance, different boat everyday, and no dock fee, but the 5k sign up charge always killed me.

Boat Club
 

I'm not sure if it would work but it intrigues me too. I live on the ocean and we have talked about joining someday. If it was available at the lake, I would join in a heartbeat.

I just checked it out. Not a bad deal when you think about it.
I know my $50K boat costs me about 410/mth loan payment, $500+/yr maintenance, $300/yr winterizing, $600/yr insurance, not to mention the headache of storing it. What's that $6310 per year. Although in my case, moving the fishing gear in and out each time would be a huge ordeal. But if you live in multiple spots for different seasons, or travel waterfront frequently, I could see where this would be great.
Ouch! It just dawned on me how much I'm spending before gas, oil, and fishing fees.

I seem to remeber Fay's have a sailboat club in the past?

No Chains !
 

Certainly dont want chain stores or restaurants.. how about an Italian restaurant with good pizza?

Driving past on the road that skirts Paugus Bay, it looks like the Paugus Bay Sports Shop has done sold its last fishing bait and done closed up for good. Hate to see a locally owned small biz get closed up and probably succumb to the nearby fishing dept at Wal-Mart, or something like that.

Noticed there's a new business that's opened in the Meredith shopping center in the spot formerly occupied by The Tape Escape. Believe the new biz is a Verizon Wireless Telephone store....which for me is totally underwhelming....give me the old stores....Ben Franklin, Parafunalia, Tape Escape & October Farm any day of the week and twice on Sundays...as opposed to what's now there.....and this is supposedly progress?:( Like wow....a Verizon Store....ugh!

Betcha the rent in there is very high, because one large storefront next to Rite Aid has been continuously vacant since Thanksgiving 2008, when the construction was completed, and a Verizon can no doubt swing a steep rent.

Hannaford....no-way, Rite Aid....is the wrong aid, and now a Verizon store....good grief!

Lake Region Computer
 

FLL, that is really LR Computer. They are also Verizon resellers. They are a locally owned computer store where you can always get good advice and gear.

...and can we have coffee shops in the LR more than Dunkin Donuts?

I really don't like their coffee and I hate their pre-fab pastries.

Gimme strong, almost rude, dark, Turkish coffee. Give it a tastee carb-loaded, home-made pastry for a side-kick... and I'm in love.

Where's one of these type of places in the LR?

(And for the love of all that's holy, please don't say 'Starbucks' in Tilton.):rolleye2:

Actually, a good computer store would be nice. I've been in LR computer for several things and always walk out empty handed. The last time in there, I was looking for blank CDs. I ended up finding one selection at Heaths Hardware. LR Computer seems to be mostly about Verizon phones with a bit computer stuff thrown in.

Careful expressing these feelings. Area business owners are scared this might hurt their business! :laugh:

I have your coffee
 

I have the coffee that you are looking for and it can be brewed on an stove top but preferably over an open fire.

Take a nice steel coffee brewer (the old style perc type work best, can also use a pot, but either way you need to be able to stir with a wooden spoon, so get a biggin), now throw out all that percolating garbage on the inside so you are left with just a brewing pot and a lid.

Fill with water (leave some space at the top for a tall glass worth of additional water) and add in your ground coffee, how much does not matter, dump, scoop, whatever you are in the mood for. Get that into a rolling boil.

Once boiling, remove from the heat and start stirring the pot, you are looking for a good funnel shape in the center, not washing machine style stirring. Got a good current, good, now pour in a glass full of ice cold water and let the current go away on its own. No more agitation from the brewmaster or else.

Over 90% of the coffee grounds will be at the bottom of the pot and unless you pull the short straw you will have a great STRONG cup of coffee to get you going. Short straw gets the last cup and something about having to chew your way to the bottom of the cup just does not sit well with some folks.

And DO NOT think of adding sugar or milk to this style of coffee, that stuff is for skirts and it will not be able to handle the power brought on by the "coffee".

Enjoy:liplick:

2011
 

Not sure if this post is too much of an advertisement? If it is I am sorry and I am sure it can be taken down, but it seems relevent.

We will be launching our club in the spring of 2011, we are very excited about it. We agree the lake seems to be lacking a great boat club. So come 2011 you will be able enjoy our fleet of boats for less than the cost of a boat slip!

Our website is underconstruction but you can find us on facebook, and I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Laconi...5126999?ref=ts

Not too much of an advertisement at all. Our esteemed webmaster has stated on this forum that your type of response is perfectly acceptable.

Frankly, I think your service will be warmly welcomed by many including Don- he seems like a perfect candidate.

Anyone else notice how the large commercial retail space in Meredith between the Rite Aid and the sporting goods store has never been occupied. The construction of the building was finished in November 2008 and it is still waiting for its' first commercial tenant to pay rent, occupy the space, build a store, and open for business.

So, what's taking so long? Cross Point, the owner of the strip mall that includes the Meredith Hannaford's is most likely asking themselves the same question.....like what the heck is happening....and after about 21 months being 'for rent' and unoccupied....what is the problemo with this very large vacant store?

What would be a viable business in there that could succeed for years & years.....good grief....tough one to answer? So far, after about 21 months of vacant commercial store space, the apparent answer is NO BUSINESS is a go in there. Way to go Cross Point! They have created an unused and unrentable retail space in the very same location that was home to some popular and successfull stores from 1971 to 2007.....36 years of long term, locally owned retail comes to a halt when the big money, Cross Point, spends big to buy the property, and lo & behold, Crosspoint so far for 21 months has created a very large, unrentable storefront.

Nice job!

I would like a pizza place that delivers to the islands. Or any kind of meal delivery out here...

The shopping center needs a traffic light. Maybe that would bring in a new business. I avoid it in the summer because it is too tough to get out of there and head back to Moultonborough

To answer your question,FLL.....People are very wary of starting a new business or expanding and existing one because no one knows what the future holds with taxes.Obama care looms,He also wants to let the Bush tax cuts end which will result in a huge increase.Trillions in deficits....huge slump in home sales,retail sales are stagnant....sorry to paint a bleak picture but people in business are not looking to expand,we are circling the wagons for tough times ahead.

Cross Point is a Massachusetts company, managing Massachusetts shopping malls, so most likely they figured what worked for them in setting commercial rent in Mass could be used in New Hampshire. As you say Samian, the macro-U.S.-economy is struggling to recover, and the micro-local economy is seasonal Meredith.

So's, the answer is pretty obvious, we all need to go get a job working for the public sector, which includes the schools, local, county, state, and federal governments and everyone will go home happy at the end of each day's work.

Anyway, after 21-months of vacancy, maybe Cross Point cannot consider lowering the rent because the cash flow would not be enough to cover their mortgage......or something like that?

Cross Point has a certain clientele in mind, and is not very flexible. Twice I have tried to rent a space in the plaza (a smaller space) and both times, after a tour and interview and promise to get back to me, they never did. The rent was pretty high (which may be another reason why they are not attracting tenants) but given that I was willing to pay it, it was a surprise they did not get back to me (or return my phone calls).

www.nh.gov/liquor/stores.shtml or www.dollartree.com come to mind as two possible tenants who could probably make the large empty storefront, next to the Rite Aid, work? The space is so large, it might be big enough for both stores at the same time.

Though it would be nice to see a small, local business go in there, I can't imagine who would be able to take that risk. If it's going to be some kind of chain, I could see a Panera doing well there.

I love Canoe but miss the great pizza that used to be there in part of the former restaurant.

I miss Trues and I miss Fullers!

I love Hannafords and am there two or three times each week and have never had the slightest problem getting in or out.

Loved the Dollar Tree or the Dollar store in Plymouth. Got all kinds of Disney things there for kids for a trip to Disney. Much cheaper to buy a few things there for time in the hotel rooms and lines and restaurant waits.

Ooohhh! Panera! That's a brilliant idea!

That intersection at 3/25 is under review by the NHDOT for consideration and planning of a traffic circle. I'm not sure what stage it's in now, but I think it's still being planned and designed. After completed, I suppose it would go to the town for approval?? (Maybe they did that first, IDK)

That would certainly have an impact on the traffic at Crosspoint. Although, I don't expect it will make it any easier to get out! :rolleye2:

Shreddy, How will the local businesses know how to improve to keep a strong business if no one ever says what could be better????

How about a pizza place that makes thin crust quality type of pizza?

Go back and read the thread...you'll see the slight debacle I was involved in.

Fay's did have a sailboat club as my daughter was a member there. I would trail her boat (and sometimes another member's boat on top of her boat) off to different races around NH and VT. This would have been around the mid nineties. Don't know what happened after that.

I go to the ICSC (shopping center deal making) in NY and most recently in Boston. The owners of this development had a booth at both, actively seeking to locate a tenant . They obviously are looking for a National Tenant to fill the entire vacant space.

Laconia needs an Urgency Care Clinic!

I needed a simple, outpatient procedure performed, and since I am from out of the area I had no regular physician.

Out West, we have many walk-in Urgency Care Clinics to choose from, and yes, they take insurance.

Not Laconia.

Heck, I walked into an ENT's office and they refused to see me unless I had a referral from another doctor!

So, off the the Emergency Room, which was drastic overkill for the medical issue at hand.

BTW, the ER at the hospital was not impressive: the people were good, but the physical plant leaves much to be desired.

Why no Urgency Care Clinics / walk-in clinics in Laconia?:confused:

This omission seems curiously inexcusable.

Whenever we are looking for something for our grandchildren, it is a struggle, there are no little shops we can check out! If I wanted sub-standard stuff, I could find it at any Wal-Mart! A lovely boutique type children's shop would fit in with the charm of the Lakes region! :coolsm: