Location, location, location. You have made your final decision to dive-in and start up a Hawaiian shave ice business! Now the questions are rolling around in your head. Where will we sell our shave ice? Will we choose to be mobile or a set up shop? Will it be a year-around or seasonal business?
Many of the questions will be dicatated by the region you live in and the weather conditions. Sure you can have an year-around shave ice business in Florida, but you’d be hard-pressed to do the same in, say, Illinois!
Here is a compilation of suggestions on where you could sell your Hawaiian shave ice:
1. Parking lots of shopping malls, department stores, or supermarkets are hot and create impulse sales for shave ice that may have been lost inside the air-conditioned facility. Parents who have denied their children expensive purchases inside the shopping mall may treat the same children to a shave ice upon leaving. The parents will also be your customers after they sample their children’s delicious shave ice.
Lease or rent payments for space in these parking lots are sometimes negotiated so that the payments are reduced during the winter season.
2. Locations across the street from shopping malls, department stores or supermarkets will benefit from the advantages of these high traffic areas. Pedestrian access and parking are important considerations for such a location.
3. Inside shopping malls, department stores or supermarkets are high traffic areas suitable for shave ice sales.
4. Highway locations with ample parking and some neighborhood access are desirable.
5. Parks and tourist areas produce customer interest in the novelty of Hawaiian shave ice.
6. Mobile units are excellent for selling shave ice. It is best to have the mobile units conduct regular hours at specific locations rather than roam the streets. Direct current 12 volt motors are available to power machines with a 12 volt deep cycle marine battery.
7. Special events can provide high volume sales. The most successful events for shave ice are any hot day events such as race tracks and rodeos.
Ample and convenient parking access is always important. There is no guaranteed successful location so each site needs to be considered for its advantages as well as its disadvantages. Location is one of your most important decisions when starting a new business.
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- Self-contained Hawaiian Shave Ice mobile unit
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- Canopies are ideal for special events and farmers markets
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- Shave Ice storefront
Shave Ice Love 