Behind on rent, Container Park business owner calls it quits

In the end, Eric Healey could not save his Monocle Optical eyeglass business at Downtown Container Park.

Healey said he will be leaving his third-story business space at the outdoor shopping hub at 707 E. Fremont St. this week after Downtown Project, which owns Container Park, gave him free marketing help last month in an attempt to salvage the small business.

"It didn't catch on enough so that people were coming in. It breaks my heart that I'm closing down," Healey said Wednesday afternoon. "It's absolutely my passion."

Healey was several months behind in rent when Downtown Project, Tony Hsieh's $350 million downtown redevelopment initiative, arranged for marketing consultant ROCeteer to work with the eyeglass-business owner.

Healey had invested $200,000 to open the store in January and said he was $8,860 behind in rent. His monthly rent was $2,400.

"As much as I worked and wanted things to happen, (Container Park) just isn't a place for a one-man business," Healey said.

Healey said he could not work by himself at the store during every hour that Container Park is open.

"It was 71 hours a week ever since I opened in January," he said. He noted that he worked 100 hours a week for four weeks to build out the store site.

Healey said he needed to have some time away from the office. "I worked 402 out of 404 days in a row. I had Thanksgiving off and took off August 9 for being sick ... They painted me into a corner."

Doug McPhail, director of retail operations for Downtown Project, said Container Park looked into allowing its stores to set their own hours. But Container Park decided against that.

"We wish Eric the best in his future endeavors. It's heartbreaking to see good people like Eric have to shut their doors. Earlier this year, based on Eric's request for a reduction in operating hours, Container Park management seriously considered the idea of letting stores determine their own hours," McPhail said.

"Ultimately, we realized that wasn't in the best interest of Container Park as a whole because we need to provide guests with a consistent shopping experience, which can't be achieved without uniform hours of operation," McPhail said.

Before he received help from ROCeteer, Healey said he received several $75 fines from Container Park management for not being in his store. Healey said he needed to be out of his store at times to market his business. He also said the foot traffic on the third level was not enough to keep his business afloat.

On Dec. 7, management representative Caroline Moriarty wrote Healey that he was required to: provide: "1. Marketing Plan (Needs to include more than the offsite meetings and networking activities) 2. Sales projections for 2016 broken down by month 3. Proposed repayment plan including a substantial down payment 4. Written confirmation that you will abide by park hours by allowing employees or friends watch your store while you are out of the office."

Container Park, which marked its second anniversary on Dec. 5, is home to 38 small businesses housed in repurposed shipping containers. A Downtown Project representative said Container Park has drawn 2.6 million visitors in its two years.

Container Park is conceived as an incubator for small businesses. Many of the businesses have short leases. While Healey will be among several third-level tenants to leave, a new wedding chapel is opening on the top level.

Contact reporter Alan Snel at asnel@reviewjournal.com Find him on Twitter: @BicycleManSnel