Starting a business 2
815 Words
“Madame Mills!” Anna called out, waving enthusiastically as she hurried over. “Madame Mills, you’re exactly the person I’ve been looking for!”
Madame Mills turned and beamed at the sight of her. “Anna, my dear! Why are you looking so excited today?”
Anna chuckled softly. “Nothing much. Are you heading to the market?”
“Yes, I am,” Madame Mills replied. “Some of my shop tenants are behind on their rent again. I need to have a word with them.”
“Wow, it’s good that you’re strict with them,” Anna said with a playful giggle, flattering her. “Madame Mills, I’m actually looking for a shop myself. Do you have any good ones available?”
Madame Mills looked surprised. “A shop? What do you plan to do with it? Sell your baked goods?”
“And more,” Anna replied with a light shrug. “I’m trying to take the next step with my life. You know… it’s just my sister and me now. We only have each other.”
Madame Mills smiled warmly. “I understand. Alright then, I think I have the perfect place for you. Come with me.”
Anna followed her excitedly as they walked toward the busier side of the market, where street food stalls and small restaurants lined the street.
“You don’t even have to tell me,” Madame Mills said as they walked. “I already know you want to open a little restaurant. It’s only natural for a daughter to follow in her mother’s footsteps.”
Anna simply smiled and nodded.
“It’s a good thing she taught you everything she knew,” Madame Mills continued. “A lady should always have a skill to fall back on. That’s how we survive in this world.”
They stopped in front of a closed shop. Madame Mills unlocked the door and pushed it open.
The moment they stepped inside, a cloud of dust greeted them. Anna coughed and waved her hand in front of her face.
“Sorry about that,” Madame Mills chuckled. “I haven’t rented this place out in quite a while.”
Anna walked slowly through the space, carefully studying the layout. The shop was surprisingly spacious, with large windows that let in plenty of natural light.
She ventured further in and pushed open a side door leading to another room that overlooked the main area.
It was the perfect place for a restaurant.
“Was this a restaurant before?” Anna asked, looking back at Madame Mills, who was still standing in the main room.
“Yes, it was,” Madame Mills replied with a fond smile. “It belonged to an old friend who sold it to me years ago. I haven’t been able to find the right person to take it over… I think you’re the perfect one to bring this place back to life.”
Anna walked back into the main room, her eyes bright with excitement. “I really like it, Madame Mills. I want it. How much are you asking for rent?”
“Hmm…” Madame Mills trailed off, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “This is a bit sudden, so give me a moment to think.”
Anna folded her arms and waited, watching her patiently.
After a brief mental calculation, Madame Mills nodded. “I’ll let you have it for seven hundred dollars a year.”
Anna raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised, not because the price was high, but because she knew how expensive Madame Mills’ shops usually were.
They never went below a thousand dollars.
Still, she played along and gasped dramatically. “Wow… seven hundred?”
To test the waters, she added with a small frown, “That’s quite expensive…”
Madame Mills immediately shook her head. “Seven hundred is the lowest I can go for you, Anna. I’ve never offered anyone this kind of deal before. This shop is worth much more. If it were anyone else, I’d be asking for more than a thousand.”
Anna let out a heavy sigh, as if a thousand pounds had just landed on her shoulders.
“Madame Mills, have mercy on me,” she said dramatically, her voice full of exaggerated sorrow. “You know my situation better than anyone. My parents are gone, the Eastons cheated us out of everything, and my relatives took what was left… Seven hundred is simply too much for a poor girl like me. I only have five hundred dollars with me right now.”
Madame Mills looked conflicted. She glanced around the dusty shop with a troubled frown, then finally waved her hand in surrender. “Alright, alright, fine. I understand. Five hundred it is.”
Anna’s jaw dropped in genuine shock. “Huh?”
That easy?
Now all she needed was equipment and supplies.
- Writer
