Why Are So Many Portsmouth Businesses Closing? Plus, the State of Real Estate, Restaurant Week, & Summer Tourism Expectations (50th Episode!)

**Seacoast Stories is celebrating today's 50th episode with a Portsmouth West End Bar Crawl on 4/25! Watch here for more details and snag your FREE tickets today.

Book 'N Bar, Ten Thousand Villages, Life Is Good, Colby's, Earth Eagle Brewing, Litherman's Brewing, Stroll Cafe.

The last year in Portsmouth has been a business bloodbath. Why are so many beloved downtown Portsmouth businesses closing their doors, and what can be done to give our businesses a better chance of survival moving forward?

In the 50th episode of "Seacoast Stories," host Troy Farkas welcomes returning guest, Andrew Samonas of Samonas Realty, and first-timer Nate Hastings, the Vice President of the Portsmouth Chamber Collaborative, for a transparent roundtable discussion about the harsh realities of the current economy on Portsmouth business owners, the state of Portsmouth commercial and residential real estate, how having locals participate in events like Art Round Town, Restaurant Week, and Local Love makes a huge difference, and some ideas for how to fix the current state of affairs.

Plus, a cameo from the Chamber's Tourism Manager, Hope Anderson, who tells Troy about her recent trip to Montreal, where she was tasked with convincing Canadiens that they're welcomed to Portsmouth this summer, even if the current U.S. administration has our Northern neighbors feeling otherwise.

CHAPTERS:

• What makes Portsmouth so special (00:00)
• Why are so many businesses closing? (05:32)
• Portsmouth's new initiative, Local Love (12:25)
• The economic realities of doing business in Portsmouth (18:04)
• SPONSOR: Sage Interior Design (31:15)
• SPONSOR: Kim Vargo (32:34)
• Portsmouth's ambitious residential building plans (34:12)
• Portsmouth Restaurant Week! (37:50)
• Portsmouth's new co-living space (42:35)
• Expectations for Portsmouth summer tourism (49:18)

• Advice to younger selves (56:30)

To donate to a good cause to support Andrew's London Marathon performance later this month, click this link. To support Nate and Hope, please visit PortsmouthChamber.org.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS:

• To streamline your annoying workflows, please visit ⁠⁠www.kimvargo.com/contact⁠⁠ and tell Kim that "Seacoast Stories" sent you for your free call and custom discount.
• Sage is a new interior design studio in Portsmouth. When checking out at ⁠⁠Sage⁠⁠ in downtown Portsmouth, tell them "Seacoast Stories" sent you for 10% off your entire order!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Offer ends 4/20/2