31 Local Businesses That Seem Like Fronts

‘A shop that only sells Russian nesting dolls’
31 Local Businesses That Seem Like Fronts

As thinking beings, it’s important to be capable of skepticism without venturing into conspiracy theory territory. There’s a huge difference between “There are mole people living in the sewers,” and “I’m pretty sure they’re selling meth at that VCR repair shop.” While fascinating to consider, we’re all well aware that mole people aren’t real, but there’s a near 100-percent chance of something illicit going on at a VCR repair shop that exists in 2024. It’s common sense

Along those lines, Redditors have speculated about the local businesses near them that can’t possibly be up to snuff, including a bakery with a very limited selection.

threeopals 3y ago A previously legitimate Chinese restaurant, abandoned for many years, opened up mid covid with just a banner saying Chinese Takeaway, no name, no visible menu displayed. Dark and empty every time I walk past it. 18 ...
WaningMime 3y ago . Edited 3y ago e Suit hire shop near me. Barely open. All the clothes/shoes on display in the window are dusty. The few times I see it open it has this one forlorn, badly dressed bloke who looks like a patsy just waiting for the taxman/police to turn up. Only customer I have ever seen was a real shifty bloke who illegally parked near by and was looking about everywhere as he went in. Very strange. 13 ...
cheezboorgir 3y ago I used to live near this vegan shop that had a 1 star food hygiene rating, and didn't sell any food, from what I could tell. It had bags of stuff (idk what was in them) on shelves, lining the walls, but you couldn't buy them. What I know that shop did sell was NOS and balloons to the students who lived around it but I never bothered to find out if they sold anything else. 24 ...
BeechedSam e 3y ago E There's a used microwave shop near where I used to live that's been open for about 15 years despite me never seeing anyone go in 25 ...
BarringtonSteele 3y ago A designer clothes shop in a run down North West town. During a period where M&S, Burtons and Top Shop all closed (before going bust) this store has expanded into every unit vacated as businesses have gone under. Now an entire street of retail units AND a pub have been converted into different 'departments' with a combined square footage similar to a Primark. I've literally never seen a single person in there other than the single staff member per unit. + 26 ...
SHN378 3y ago There's a breakfast cafe near me that is definitely selling drugs. The guy who does the food deliveries does it in a brand new 21 blacked out BMW and he seems to receive orders on he's mobile, but the number I have goes to the landline. Не takes a bunch of orders out at a time. Some are clearly not full of food. They just look too light. I just wish I knew where the secret menu is. I'd love a bacon roll and a bag of weed dropped to my door on hangover mornings. 68 ...
riverY90 3y ago There's a sushi restaurant that opened in like 2018. Always empty, even on Friday and Saturday nights there's max 1 table. Never seen delivery drivers there so it isn't like they are raking in delivery sales. It doesn't make any sense 32 ...
Cvrk2 3y ago . Where I grew up in Glasgow there was an ice cream van that would do the rounds all year long - chimes and all. You'd hear it more than you saw it. The sound always carried particularly well on those cold, clear February days. + 49 ...
AdderWibble 3y ago My town growing up had a tattoo shop that never had any customers, because the average age in the town was about 80. It's still there to this day with its frosted out windows, open sign and not a single customer ever seen going in or out. You'll see the staff occasionally outside smoking, but that's it. + 29 ...
Lyvtarin - 3y ago e Near where my mum lived (Sussex) when I was a teenager we'd always drive past a Splat Clock shop on the way to hers. It only sold clock in the shape of paint splatters... 29 ...
frowawayfrommebaby 3y ago There is a bar near me that's never seems to be open but according to its website is open weds and thurs 3pm - 11pm then fri and sat evenings. I have never once seen it open. Its in a prominent position next to a train station and would do a decent passing trade if they tried. It also 'officially' closes and reopens under a new name at least once a year. If we're allowed to name specific places I will post the website - which appears to be written in Spanish despite this place being in commuter belt Surrey
LeoDemiurg1 . 3y ago Coffee shop near my friend's. Always opened, always the same 2-4 chaps sitting outside smoking all day long and doing literally nothing, haven't seen a single other customer ever! 71 ...
warmillharry 3y ago Shop on the high street near us has a window display with a few boxes of sun bleached dvds and vhs tapes and a few old stereos inside, never seen a person either working in or visiting it and yet somehow it's stayed open for all 16 years I've lived here. Has 3 reviews on google, 1 of which is about 3 Scandinavian woody woodpecker dvds + 90 ...
Realistic-Ice-3732 . 3y ago . In my wife's home-town, population 30,000, there is a shop that only sells russian nesting dolls. That's it. Nothing else. + 318 ...
The-foureyes . 3y ago Those 'American candy' shops that are everywhere in London, no idea how they're allowed to keep going + 616 ...
Headytexel 1mo ago When I was living in New Jersey, there was a hoagie place that was always a little sus. It was cash only, a favorite of the local cops, and everyone who worked there were the most Sopranos- ass motherfuckers you'd ever meet. It had all sorts of groceries and ingredients from Italy and in the center was the deli counter. But what was weirdest was it had a ton of signs like this which is an extremely strange thing to find in New Jersey (I think it has the lowest gun ownership in the country?). Then, one
Spamtickler 1mo ago There was a gas station in town when I was in college that was always around $2 more per gallon that anyplace else in town, all of the other places very conveniently located. They still had cars pulling through all the time. I'm assuming drugs. 172 Reply Share ...
Cardholderdoe 1mo ago I live in a super rural area and there is a vape shop the next town over that only keeps like 5-6 nicotine products but is all in on weed/thc stuff. They service a town of less than 2000 (in a very red/anti-weed area of the state) and are dealing with massive competition in either direction from their exact location. It is run owned by an elderly asian man, they always have an extra staff member that acts like a bouncer to the back room, and there is a painting of a big tiddy'd anime girl that
darkchocolattemocha ОР e 1mo ago I have a vacuum cleaner repair shop a block from my apartment. Never been inside, never see anyone going inside. Like who repairs vacuums anymore. .. Dont people just buy a new one? Reminds me of Breaking Bad 146 Reply Share ...
 3y ago e A multitude of cash only turkish barbers which only ever have like 3 customers in a day + 644 ...
SVXfiles 1mo ago A locally owned Cafe run by sort of relatives. It's a small, family run and cash only eatery. To my knowledge they still sell their burgers and stuff for like $1.50-$2, so super affordable. The couple that runs it live in a very expensive home and take multiple vacations a year + Reply Share 537 ...
blubbahrubbah 1mo ago There's a Godfather's Pizza in Galveston that always seems to be empty. No ads, not even local as far as I've seen. The couple of times we've gone, they seemed to be surprised by having customers. We got a pizza, and it was great, but it felt sketchy. Anyway, if y'all ever get down to Galveston and want a really good pizza, that Godfather's still tastes the way it used to. 259 Reply Share ...
Eve_newbie 1mo ago I'll add one that I actually got the answer to. There was an Italian restaurant that was gaudy, dingy, and at the busiest intersection of my decently sized city. It was always sparsely populated. I went after seeing it for 10+ years and the food was pretty good tbh, but nowhere near the amount of people going to make ends meet. Far forward a few years my friend is in sales at Sysco, he informs me that intended it does lose a ton of money, but they have a downtown location in a major city nearby that
could_use_a_snack 1mo ago There was a Chinese restaurant in the area I used to live. It was in a strip mall kind of set up, but the inside looked like you stepped into a Chinese story book. It was beautiful inside, had carved wooden dividers between the booths, and a koi pond in the entrance. It was amazing. The food was incredible but reasonably priced. But there was never more than one or two tables occupied any time we went there. The hostess looked like a porcelain doll, and had the best posture I've ever seen. She was very nice,
Sixhaunt 1mo ago There's a spiritual healing place near me but often when I walk by I see rows of people through the window on the second floor all looking like they are monotonously working on something. I have seen people screaming out the window of the place at other people and stuff too which always seemed weird. Based on the logo of the place I thought it was a catering place at first and that they were just mass producing food for events but then I looked into the place more at one point and found that they are
Jlong129 9mo ago Edited 9mo ago Parkway Jewelers in Whitehall by Jordan Lanes. I went there to buy something and they seemed shocked I showed up and had zero interest in selling me anything. They wrote down a website where I should browse for jewelry, wrote it on their business card that only had Parkway Jewelers printed on it. No address, phone number, or rep name on it. There is a locked storefront next door to them with all the blinds closed. The jewelry store back room is connected to this storefront, and that's where the two female employees came
Gomez-16 1mo ago There is a VCR repair shop near me. Just vcr repair. There are not enough vcr players in the city to keep that place open. + 8K Reply Share ...
G Ritehandwingman e 1mo ago . There's a used car lot across the street from my work that never sells any cars. I've been working at my job for 5 1/2 years and one, maybe two, have left the lot in that entire time. + 4.4K Reply Share ...
CTMom79 1y ago . There is a bakery in the town I grew up in that only sells bread, and only one type of bread. Rumours have always been that it's a front for something. + 37 ...
Bruinsfanfromcc 1mo ago Small town in mountains of North Carolina. Somehow we had a deli that seemed to be right outta NYC. All the good brands from back home. Almost nobody ate there. I only saw another customer a couple of times. Great cold cuts, excellent subs. If you know anything about rural NC, about the only DNA is from the British Isles here. The guys running the place were as Italian as you could get, and there were always at least three of them at hanging around the deli. Not doing anything, just sitting in chairs back in the
 3y ago We have a telephone repair shop in our town. Not mobile telephones, corded ones. Been there for years. My toddler is obsessed with going in and answering the phones. 10 ...

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