Landlady Helps New Businesses Realize Dreams

One of the toughest obstacles for a would-be entrepreneur who wants to start a small business in downtown Portsmouth is finding an affordable place to set up shop.

Fortunately, there is one place that offers affordability and a great location for foot traffic that can give small business owners who dare to dream of success a fair shot of making it work, thanks to Carolyn McGee.

McGee is the owner of Buyer’s Brokers of the Seacoast on 33 Deer St. Her firm occupies 4A. Right next door is 5A, where Diversions Puzzles and Games is currently doing business. After being in McGee's retail space for about eight months, Diversions is getting ready to move into a larger retail space on Congress Street after the owner of Pars Oriental Rugs decided to relocate his business.

McGee is not surprised Diversions did so well in her retail space.

“It’s a great spot in that it’s on the corner,” she said. “It’s right where the walk from the Sheraton comes right to downtown.”

She leases the 950-square-foot space for $2,200 per month plus electricity. The lease includes the annual condo association fee and deeded parking in the Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel lot. 

McGee has owned her business and the retail space next door since 1992 and she believes as many as 15 small businesses have used it. Some of them didn't make it, but others managed to grow to the point where they needed to relocate to bigger quarters.

One of those businesses was the Maine-ly New Hampshire store owned by Deborah and Ken Smith, a Portsmouth City Councilor, which moved across the street to their current location about four years ago.

McGee believes that between Maine-ly New Hampshire and Diversions, a new trend could be developing where budding small businesses in search of an affordable way to get into the downtown retail scene will use the space as a springboard to greater things.

Erika Wilson, a sales associate at Diversions who has worked for owners Laura and Todd Keith from the beginning, said McGee's retail store proved to be a "gateway location.

"It gave them the opportunity to follow their dream of a puzzle and games store," Wilson said. "It gives you the stepping stone to do what you want to do."

Wilson said the store owners plan to have an outdoor game space in their new location on Congress Street after moving there this spring.

Whenever McGee sees a small business do well and outgrow her retail space, she loves it.

“It feels good to still see people be able to do it because that is what New Hampshire is all about, that entrepreneurial spirit.”

She is optimistic this trend will continue.

“First of all, the market is definitely coming back. We have been in a really downward trend for a couple of years.”

With three hotels right around the corner – the Sheraton, Hilton Garden Inn, and Marriott Residence Inn along with Portwalk – McGee believes future small businesses that choose to utilize her space will do well.

“I would love my space to be used as a coffee shop,” she said.