Excited about potential demolition of Georgia Pacific buildings

As a business owner in the city of Bellingham, my vision for the downtown area has remained cloudy since buying my commercial suite three years ago. After the city purchased the Georgia Pacific plant, my visions turned to grandeur, but just what kind of timeline is the city on with this project? I realize great things come to those who wait, or so it's said, but will we have to wait another decade for Bellingham's waterfront project to catch up with Fairhaven?

So, when I received a letter from the City of Bellingham's Planning and Community Development Department about the SEPA Determination, Demolition Permit and Shoreline Permit Exemption for the demolition of GP's Pulp Screen Room, Bleach Plant and Pulp Storage buildings, I got a little excited. I guess just bringing up demolition can excite a 34-year-old male. What guy doesn't like to see things blow up, right? But the thought of 80,000 square feet of an eye store I drive past nearly every day finally being demolished is promising.

Let's be honest, GP has hogged all that prime land for long enough. Sure, we put up with it when there was a business there that employed hard-working men and women from our community, but since it closed, it's been nothing but an eye sore in my opinion. I guess you can look at the brick construction and broken windows and find some artistic beauty in those relics, but I want new buildings. Give me the waterfront mecca the city dreams about. The one that accommodates cruise ships and tourists that will bring revenue to Bellingham. I mean, personally, my business is all done online, so it's not really gonna affect me one way or the other, but the thought of demolition and progress being made should excite all the other struggling downtown businesses I see closing left and right throughout Bellingham, shouldn't it?

Oh, I guess if you know more about the environmental impacts of such a project and want to comment in writing, the PCDD is accepting written comments by 5 p.m., Wednesday July 13. But let's not dilly dally on this people. Please don't get emotionally attached and drag this out longer than need be. Let's get your ducks in a row, do it right, and blow those buildings to the ground so we can get started on this project already...:)

Decade - selling - eBay video game - reward

Ok, for those of you who don't know, I run an online clothing store called Mens_Choice on eBay (http://www.menschoice.info/). Yes, there's yet another shameless plug. Well, the reason I bring this up is that I realized this week that it's been almost a decade that I've been eBaying. It all started in 2002 when I visited my local Goodwill and started selling clothes to make a few extra bucks. After a decade of selling new and previously owned brand name clothing and shoes on eBay, I don't really have much to show for it. Or do I? Have I really learned anything in the last decade?

This month I've toyed with the idea of selling my business to move on to the next phase of my life, but what will that be? I received some interest from a couple interested in taking over my little eBay empire, but as I tried to sell the guy on my business, I quickly realized that what I do isn't the most desireable business proposal. How do I convince someone that they want to buy, sort, launder, picture and list hundreds of items each week just to get by? Sure, I've managed to move my business from my home to a commercial suite downtown, and the equity I build in that suite will pay off when it's sold, but at what cost?

I guess in 10 years I've learned how to do a few things, but I still haven't figured it all out. To me, eBay is like one cruel video game with no end. I click and click every week, but there's no princess waiting for me at the end of this game. There's no happy music and fireworks telling me I've conquered the game. Where's the reward in all this? At least when I was a reporter there was a finished copy of the newspaper waiting on my desk at the end of each week. A small reward staring me in the face as if to say "nice work kid, now what are you gonna write about this week?"

As more competition swarms the eBay market, and postage prices go up each year, my little evil empire has gotten more evil with each passing day. A decade of hard work and all I've really managed to do is pay my bills and get by. Is this really the American dream of small business ownership? When I was a kid I always wanted to have my own business. Back then, it was a baseball card shop. Why not, right? Take your interest and turn it into a business. I guess I've managed to live my dream for a decade. But, as my 35th birthday looms, I suddenly have the feeling that maybe it's time to start fresh and dream again. Hopefully my next vision will reward me with more than a huge stack of clothes each week and a commercial suite full of merchandise.

Starting a blog. What to blog about?

Hey people!

My name is Brian Kingsberry and I've decided to join the 21st century and start a blog. I'm not quite sure what I plan to blog about, but I hope to keep it interesting enough to get some followers and have some fun with it.

I guess I'll start by telling you all a little about myself. I'm 34 years old and I currently run an online clothing store on eBay and own a photo studio in the heart of Bellingham Washington. Prior to going pro as an eBayer, I worked for five years as a sports reporter here in Washington. I still freelance as a writer/photographer when I get a chance, but spend most of my time keeping my little eBay store running smoothly.

As for what I plan to blog about, I guess I'll probably write about eBay, photography, local news and other small businesses. I'm hoping to get enough of a following that I can some day write local reviews about small businesses if there's enough of an interest. I have a lot of ideas about how to start businesses. Whether any of my ideas are good is the real question. For example, my last idea was to start a sandwich shop and call it Sub Weigh and charge customers by the weight. Good idea, right?

Well, I think three paragraphs is enough to get started. Please follow me and help me out in this venture if you have some experience with it.

Cheers!

Brian Kingsberry