As many are aware, the former Bloom's variety, which for years before was the J J Newbury's, is a huge street level retail space, and has been vacant and 'for rent or 'for sale' for over two years.
At the same time, both CVS and Walgreens have purchased a number of contiguous lots, over on nearby Union Ave, and gone through all the legal, planning, design, and construction phases to successfully build their recently opened, stand-alone, CVS and Walgreen stores & parking lots. Located about 1/4 mile from the downtown Main St area which includes the vacant former Bloom's store, they chose to probably spend a whole lot more rather than renting or owning the former Bloom's.
You know that either CVS or Walgreen could have purchased the old Main St building, former home to Bloom's, which has a huge street level retail space, and placed their CVS or Walgreen in there.
And, they chose not to do that.
So, what happens to the empty Bloom's?
What I would like to see is a honky-tonky, bazaar style flea market complete with a lot of different stall venders.
Laconia is now home to a number of second hand stores: Saint Vincent De Paul, Salvation Army, Morgan Memorial, Too Good to be Threw, a storefront on Main St close to the Gale Library & others. So, as a mecca for 2nd hand stores, why not go & grow with that and get a super flea market started in the former Bloom's.
It could be a bloom'n & boom'n flea market in there, I tell's ya
....the Wal-Mart of all flea markets!