Rent-A-Kilt

While driving through Brooklyn, New York, recently I saw a store-front with a big sign in front: Rent-a-Kilt. Very colorful. Very eye-catching. And, of course, very memorable. There, I thought, is a store if ever there was one with a particular niche. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to go inside and learn more about the business, but as the day went I found my thoughts drifting back to this interesting place. Do they have many customers? How many people work in this store? Is there, in fact, a future in the kilt industry? What does their inventory look like? Are they turning a profit each month? These questions, pertinent for any business, are all the more intriguing when directed to one focusing not just on selling but renting kilts.


Then there are the people who had the vision to open up a store with such an interesting specialty. Is this business one that has been handed down from generation to generation or is its existence the result of an individual having a vision that providing the public with such a service - renting kilts - is their way up the ladder of success? Either way, I hope this business is just the ticket the owners need to achieve the comfort and financial peace-of-mind they seek. If they do, then such a success would have to give great heart to any other entrepreneurs trying to make it in the face of the economic challenges so many of us face these days.


More and more we seem to be living in a world of what I term niche-fillers. Cable news, for instance, is a perfect example of enterprises trying to fill a particular niche on behalf of their followers. Viewers tune into those stations that present news with conservative bent while others subscribe to those with more of a leftwing perspective. More broadly, professional communicators find themselves specializing in certain aspects of this social science. These include speech writing, advertising, social media and even media relations. After all, there are worse things than attempting to fill a niche. Just ask the folks at Rent-A-Kilt.