CarrollBlog

The chic'est, most exclusive shopping street in Vienna is called Kohlmarkt. All the famous designers have stores there-- Vuitton, Armani, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana... From what I've heard, the rents for anything on that small street are insane. Whenever I pass one store in particular I smile because the story of how it got there is as crazy as the cost of rent. A friend who is in Viennese real estate told me what happened. A world renowned couturier spent a fortune completely renovating one of the stores on the Kohlmarkt. Rumor has it that it cost close to a million euros to do the work. When it was finished and preparations were already in full swing for the grand opening, the big boss of the company in Milan flew up to Vienna specifically to look at the store to see if it needed anything before opening for business. The Kohlmarkt is a short walking street. To get from one end to the other takes no more than seven minutes if you're moving quickly. The boss came towards the store from one end of the street but as he approached the building, he slowed more and more until he came to a complete stop. "What is that fish store?" he asked one of his minions. The assistant didn't understand. "There is a 'Nordsee' fish restaurant next to my shop." No one knew what to say. "Are you out of your minds? You planned to open one of our shops, one of the most exclusive brands in the world, next door to a place where they cook *fish* all day long? Forget it. Stop everything."
And that's what they did. The beautiful brand new store was quickly sold to another famous company that didn't think it was a problem selling their clothes next to a fish restaurant.