Cortland – Fran Crowe is no stranger to the local business community, having operated the popular Area 51 gaming and collectibles store and The Crowe’s Nest, both in the historic Clock Tower building downtown from the mid-1990s to 2006, when a fire gutted the building and forced closure of all the businesses that had been operating there.
After rebuilding Area 51 at a new Main Street location, Crowe closed in 2009 and went exclusively online. Thirteen years later after multiple online expansions, Area 51 is back in a brick-and-mortar location, this time in another historic building, the Cortland Corset building on East Court Street.
The move was made possible in part by the Cortland County Business Development Corporation, which provided $15,000 in grants through programs it developed as the result of an American Rescue Plan Act allocation by the county legislature. The money was used to defray Crowe’s initial rent payments for the new space and to help purchase fixtures and other items to get the business up and running.
Crowe said many of his former customers from his original Clock tower location are now bringing their children into his store. “That’s been one of the biggest joys in re-opening the store,” he said. “Hearing from customers sharing their experiences of when they were a kid, sometimes I don’t recognize them until they send me a photo from the late 90s.”
Crowe said he’s learned a lot about operating a small business over the last 27 years and he wishes he had the benefit of some of those hard lessons earlier on in his journey. “My on-line business was sustainable enough but when I looked into a new location and an expansion and then bringing back Area 51, I realized my vision exceeded my finances and from my past experiences starting off with a substantial debt is not a great place to be in when you’re starting a new business.”
Crowe attributes some of his initial success to the BDC’s simplified grant process that is easy to understand and doesn’t have a lot of red tape. “It was very smooth,” he said.
Crowe is already adding new services to his business including laser engraving and cutting services, custom printed products, and 3D printing.
Note: The Cortland County Business Development Corporation is publishing a series of stories highlighting the small businesses that received funding from Cortland County’s American Rescue funds allocation. The BDC was tasked with distributing $600,000 in funds to qualified small businesses.
