Tattoo Shop Owner Displaced by Church Project: 'I'm in No Rush to Move'

Scott Jones says the Main Street United Methodist Church has been a good landlord for the past two years – unexpected, even.

"As a tattoo business, I actually have to thank them for renting to me. I've been in Nashua since the 1980s and when I was looking for a new place, other businesses wouldn't answer my calls once they knew it was for a tattoo shop. The church was the last landlord I expected, and they've been pretty damn good landlords," said Jones on Monday.

That said, he was still surprised when he got notice that his lease would be up as of December 2014. That's the deadline for the five businesses currently leasing space along Main Street in a church-owned building, including Jackie's Diner, Chuck's Barber Shop, Celebrations Catering, Showtime Computers and the tattoo shop, to vacate.

"When I moved in here a couple of years ago, I was told the church didn't want to be landlords anymore, and they might be selling the building. I figured maybe I'd have a new landlord at some point. I didn't expect to hear they were going to demo the building for green space," Jones said.

"If I'd known that, I might have cut corners in the shop. As you can see, it's custom built. That's why you are better off owning your own building. I've got to find a new location now, and that's up to me. But I'm in no rush to move," Jones said.

He said anything can happen in the next 13 months, and a lot of other storefronts could open up, expanding his options. He'll wait and play what feels a bit like a game of chess.

"Hey, it's a decision that works for the church. For me, I haven't been here long enough to even make back my initial investment," said Jones, who's leaning toward finding a place he can buy outright next time around. 

"Problem is, there are some spaces available downtown now that are a one-year lease, but the buildings are for sale, so you don't know what's going to happen a year down the road," Jones said.

Sticking around for the next 13 months also has its share of calculated risk.

"That's when they'll be doing the sidewalks, so on the other hand, that could negatively affect business for me next year," Jones said. "It's a shame, because I was looking forward to the new sidewalks being done and seeing how it all comes together."

Jones says just as the church is looking forward – with a plan to make upgrades its 145-year-old building and reinforce various existing community outreaches including a food pantry, Habitat for Humanity  and addiction support groups, the city has also done its best to take a giant step forward.

So if the downtown is suffering, he doesn't see it as a matter of bad decisions made by the city.

"It's the economy. It's like this everywhere. I have shops in Seabrook and North Conway, and lots of friends in business. Small business owners like us are finding just about all our resources are going back into our business. We aren't going home with much money – a lot of people at the beach, from shop owners to fisherman, are saying this has been the worst year yet," Jones said.

"I think the city is doing the right thing. Sure, when they do the sidewalk out front and it affects me, I won't like it much. But I'm glad it's happening. It's the price you pay for a good looking downtown," he said.

As news of the plan became public Monday, several people reached out to Nashua Chamber of Commerce President Chris Williams to see if there might be a way to assist the displaced businesses.

Williams addressed the issue via Facebook, writing:

"I've fielded a very high number of emails, direct messages, and calls from people all over Nashua today, all of whom are asking about the Chamber's intentions to engage with our Main Street Methodist Church concerning their expansion project and its resulting impact on certain downtown businesses. 

Rather than reply individually to each inquiry, I'm hopeful this update can generally let everyone know where our Chamber stands in regard to this. In keeping with Stephen Covey's rule of "seeking first to understand," I've scheduled a meeting with the pastor of the church for tomorrow so that he can give me a solid overview of their plans, and their efforts to work with those impacted businesses. Once I get a better understanding, I can promise you our Chamber will do whatever it takes to help those impacted businesses (and our downtown) to the best extent possible."

Jones hasn't asked for help, yet, although he has the information he needs to reach out to the city, provided by the church. He said another plus of renting from the church has been that the property was not a "triple net" lease, which are common and require a tenant to pay for various additional expenses beyond rent.

"That's a big plus here. When you have triple net, that means you could be paying for all kinds of things, from landscaping or plowing, to property tax," Jones said.

"And who knows – having to relocate might be for the better. I mean, I planned on staying here as long as possible, but there's not much left downtown, when you think about it," Jones said.

Link here to read more about the Main Street Methodist Church project.

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