Reply to Max's Best Icecream

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[quote=Anonymous]You are missing my point completely.

I’m not critical of Max’s freezer investment at all.  Whether or not it was a prudent business decision is irrelevant.  Max can spend his money however he wants.
  
However, it irks me when people repeatedly use that very same freezer investment as a reason why Max should not have to move (or even consider another location).  Countless times I’ve heard people say things like “Max installed a custom freezer in his shop; it is unfair for him to move since he paid all that money for the freezer.”  This is not a valid defense.  Max knowingly invested in this freezer while being under the terms of a lease cycle that may/may not be renewed in 5-year increments.  When he installed the freezer, he assumed the risk that came along with it: that his lease may not be renewed at the discretion of the landlord.
 
I was born and raised in Glover Park and don’t have a dog in the fight on either side.  I’ve eaten at both Rockland’s and Max’s periodically, and have had nice experiences at both places.   I’m looking at the situation objectively, and in my opinion, it seems unfair how Rockland’s has been vilified while Max’s has largely been given a pass when it comes to personal accountability and management of one’s business.

People are acting like it would be the biggest injustice in the world for Max to move his shop down the block (there have been multiple reports of landlords offering other spaces on the strip including near the Tennis Zone, which apparently won’t consider), and then say Rocklands should just move like it is no big deal, or even their duty.  Rocklands would have to incur major re-location and re-marketing costs to make a move as well.  It’s not fair to hold these businesses to different standards, just because Max’s is a “mom-and-pop” shop.  Rocklands was also founded in Glover Park (three years prior to the arrival of Max’s) and has been a stellar GP community member too.  They have grown to four locations in the DC Metro area and have employed over 100 folks during the recession.  They are also a small business.

I support Max as a person and I support his ice cream, but I also don’t think “he’s such a nice guy” is a reasonable excuse for not knowing (or ignoring) the realities of his lease terms, and in turn, blaming others for the situation or holding other businesses/parties to different standards (and expecting them to make concessions that Max himself won’t even consider i.e. moving).  At the end of the day, Max is responsible for his own business and needs to have some accountability and personal responsibility for his role in the situation.

It is naïve to think that everyone else is at “fault” here, and Max is just a victim, just because you like Max and his ice cream.   Leases and contracts are in place for a reason.  I rented a lovely house in Glover and approached my landlord to extend for a fourth year.  Instead of renewing our lease, I found out she was selling the house.  I was disappointed that I had to find a new place to live, but that was the reality of the situation.

You even agreed with me in your post above when you said “well, duh” to the idea that Max should be held accountable for knowing his lease agreement.  If that’s the case, why is everyone else to blame here?[/quote]

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