April 30, 2009

Two Worcester Businesses

Commonwealth Bank to be sold, click here. and the downtown Hookah bar closes, click here. Check out the comments for the Hookah bar story. It has been three weeks since the last time I read any comments and I promise not to read them again, I hope. The Telegram wonders why they are going out of business???

PS Rod Lee is no longer working on the Telegram.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Small Business community will miss Rod Lee in a BIG fashion! Be good, Rod !!!

Harry T
Worcester,MA

Jahn said...

Comm. Bank was IPO'ed in 2000 ( I think) and given the consolidation trends in the banking industry the intent was always to eventually peddle the place to a larger bank.

My instincts tell me that they possibly would have preferred to wait longer before the bank was off loaded to a suitor.


The IPO went public at $10 (as I recall) and according to the T&G was just sold in the $8 per share range ($8.80?). Precluding any stock spilts (does anyone know if there were any) the bank was gobbled up for less than it's IPO offering price which isnt unusual in this market, especially for the banking industry which as we all know has seen share prices hammered in the last year or so.

So one has to wonder what else is operating behind the scenes at Commonwealth, such they are selling into a down market for bank stocks.

Harry, I have an MCAS question fore yew:

What Does the Pajama People demographic tend NOT TO USE for their "finances"

a. Se Cambein Cheques outlets.

b. Money Orders.

c. Local Banks

d. Pay day Loans


Prize: A free Tuesday only Gift certificate to Coney Island Hot Dogs.

Jahn said...

Can anyone believe that these jokers on Beacon Hill have already spent the estimated $900M that will be raised by the proposed sales tax hike to 6.25%? by re-instituting items that had already been cut. E.g. QuinnBill payments to municipalities. If anyone doesnt think that gov't employeees are running things in Mass.(& Worc) please think again.

And now I read this morning that the state is going to be even more in the red ink for the remainder of 2009 than they had originally budgeted?

I still say this sales tax increase is a 100% scripted dog & pony show between Deval and the legislature and this monring. This monring I have to drive the Pike and look at pike cashiers pulling down $26 an hour for a job that pays $9 per hour at Stop & Shop. And I wont even mnetion the bennies package.

Gabe said...

Hooka Hot Spot was a bad business model right from the get go.

Prime spot right at the corner of Portland and Franklin, high visibility, big windows, nice space inside.

What do you do with it?

You sell hookas ($15 for two people), coffee (and just coffee, no cappacino, no espresso, no flavored coffee), smoothies, and chips with either salsa or hummus and you expect that to pay the bills? Never mind all the other accusations that have been made about the place.

Nice space just opened up on Franklin though.

Anonymous said...

Jahn:

Will you also be taking me out to Denny's on my birthday for breakfast? You big spender you!

Harry T(oast and coffee)
Worcester, MA

Jahn said...

Harry, my offer had a 24 hour expiration date. You failed to answer my quizzie timely

Therefore no free hotdogs for you at Coney Island on Tuesday.
You snoooze.....you lose...!!!!!!!
Dennys???????........GGGGGGRRRRRRR no franchise food...none of the time.........The Boulevard or the Miss Worcester.....or The Pickle Pail.......maybe........or poss. a vendor pushcart............are there any left downtown........i assume these guys are out in force the last week or so.

WTH do the customers of Worc have only 9 parking spaces (per the parkign attendant)available to them out of about 42 spaces at teh common underground garage at Citi- Haul??.....and why in Gods name do we need a parking lot attendant there. Give City Hall employees free parking at the Lye-Berry Lot.......all retail outlets that I know of require employees to park far from the store site so the customers can park closer.....ditto's for the Code dept parking lot as well...........spaces nearest the building s/b 100% for customers use only. Only O'Brien should have a space at teh underground garage....he's the CEO....

About time we cut the fire dept to 3 men per truck...!!!!! Can we aslo please cut the deputy chiefs vehilce to just one person.....i.e. the chief can wheel himself around town in his Expedtition........screw this notion that he needs a chauffuer.......does OBrien or Moylan have driver...........then why should these deputy chiefs.......where do they get off being prima dona's.......esp in thsi day and age??

Fire dept going to be short handed this summer..............wanna know why........b/c thay all get summer vacations........vacations should not be doled in such a fashion that that teh FD is left short handed b/c everyone wants to go on vacation at the same time. Let teh junior men take winter vacatiosn if need be....the senior men get the summer vacations.thats hwo works in the private sector......no private sector business would ever leave the company short handed b/c every one wants a summertiem vacation......change the darn union contract if neeed be...........funny how public safety is so important yet not so important that the city is left shorthanded b/c too many want summertime vacations...

Anyone see any flagmen around local constr. sites this spring??........Moylan complaining he cant pave the street b/c he's low on dough..........try flagmen please Robert........could save some dinero