Technology

In Mountain View, California (heart of Silicon Valley, Google HQ nearby) there used to be a shopping center called Old Mill. It actually had a fake watermill indoors.

Over time it got old and decrepit, so they sold it to developers who wanted to raze it and build a snazzy new shopping center with high-end condos above.

There was one shop at the edge of the block that was a mom and pop international grocery store, and the owners had bought the underlying land from the original shopping center many years back when times were tough.

The new developers offered the family a bucket of money. They refused. The whole mall and the parking lot were demolished, making it hard for customers to get to the grocery store. Didn't matter. They kept going. Building construction started. Massive towers and deep excavation. Dust everywhere. The developers would stop by every few months and offer more. The family still refused.

It got to the point that the fancy mall was nearly finished with just this one little ugly old store sticking out, ruining the view.

It was only then that the grocery store finally sold. The final number wasn't known, but the family moved down the street and opened THREE more stores in the area, each much bigger than that original store.

Point is, it's a risky move, but sometimes holding out pans out.