I know you might be surprised to hear this from me, but I just got my first iPad.  Well, guess what?  This admission of purchase this late in the game surprises me too because, as you know, I love technology and I love gadgets.  But I also value return on investment and the value is having "gadgets" in my personal life, but only "tools" in my professional world.   That is why I have only had the iPad for about a week.  And I can tell you, it has been a good week.
 

But let me go back to why I pulled the trigger and bought it.  This is an important part to share because we all have choices about how we spend both time and money, given that both are rather finite.  For me, it felt like the purchase was all about the business application. But that said, there were a variety of business reasons not just one, and so as I went into research mode, other options to be considered came into play.  As you know, there are about as many different tablet type devices out there as there are uses for them, so I started the laborious process of determining the best one.
 

There was a lot to sift through.  It was noisy out there and at one point I was feeling overwhelmed by the noise.  It reminded me of how my parents would chide each other during a night of TV.  One of them would say, "Can you turn the TV down?" to which the other one would reply (loudly) "What? I can't hear you! The TV's too loud!", followed by them sharing the same "ha, ha, ha."  They  would then get down to the business of communicating what they had been trying to, while the noisy TV was in the way.
 

So just when I was beginning to tell myself I needed to turn down the TV (noise) so I could hear what was really important, my very smart business partner and husband did it for me instead.  He told me to turn down the noise, quit exploring too many options without knowing what the specific endgame was and pick the one reason why it was important for me to have this device.  He didn't give me advice as to what that one important consideration was.  He didn't need to.  He just needed to suggest that I do it so the selection would become clear.  He showed me how to turn down the volume.  And I did.  Great advice isn't it?
 

We all have these types of decisions to make.  If it is not about technology, it is about something else that is ever-changing and imposing on our time.  For me, and for many of you today, it is the iPad or some other reader or tablet, but tomorrow it will be something else.  We need to be careful to not turn our backs on productivity tools, but to avoid the noise as much as possible.  Today it is easy to want to get a gold star as though you are participating in one of those TV game shows where you are rewarded for having random things in your pockets or in your purse.  We have so much at our fingertips because our lives tend to be big boiling cauldrons of random things,  professional things and personal things all blurred together...if we just collect a whole bunch, we can always hope to win when called upon.  It must be that somewhere in the back of my mind, I think someone is going to pay me $100 because I am the person who has exactly what they need when called upon during the game.  What I do not want to be is the person who has a cracked hard-boiled egg, a copy of my 2006 tax return, a dog treat, keys to real estate I have not had anything to do with in 20 years and a corkscrew.  And believe me, it is easy for me to be that woman.  What I am striving for (and maybe you should too) is to hear the words "Congratulations to the woman in the back -- the one without 'whatever'!"
 

So, back to the purchase.  Once I did what I was reminded to do...get rid of the noise...I purchased the iPad.  I'm glad I did.  It really is the only tool that meets my specific purpose.  But keep reading over the next few weeks as I'll have other things I want to share with you, because the other side of the coin is I'm finding the iPad fascinating for a number of other reasons, some of which might surprise you.  Via our blog, I hope you'll share with me several that I have not thought of yet.

Eat N' Park Restaurants operates 76 locations throughout OH, PA and WV. The family restaurants occupy spaces of 6,500 sq.ft. in pad sites of malls and power centers. Plans call for two openings throughout western PA during the coming 18 months. Typical leases run 25 years. Preferred cotenants include Target and Walmart. Major competitors include Bob Evans and Cracker Barrel. Preferred demographics include a population of 60,000 within 10 miles earning $50,000 as the average household income. A land area of 1.5 acres is required. The company prefers ground leases, but will consider acquisitions.  For more information, contact Bill Bates, Eat N' Park Restaurants, 285 East Waterfront Drive, Homestead, PA 15120.
 

Penn Station, Inc. trades as Penn Station East Coast Subs at 220 locations throughout IL, IN, KY, MI, MO, NC, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA and WV. The sandwich shops occupy spaces of 1,500 sq.ft. to 1,800 sq.ft. in power and strip centers. Plans call for 30 openings throughout the existing markets, as well as AL, AR, GA, IA, KS and WI, during the coming 18 months. Typical leases run five years with options. Preferred cotenants include Target, Kohl's and grocery stores. Major competitors include other sandwich shops. Preferred demographics include a population of 65,000 within three miles earning $50,000 as the average household income. The company is franchising.  For more information, contact Mark Partusch, Penn Station, Inc., 1226 U.S. Highway 50, Milford, OH 45150.
 

Hooters of America, Inc. trades as Hooters Restaurants at 455 locations nationwide throughout 44 states and internationally. The restaurants occupy spaces of 5,000 sq.ft. in freestanding locations and endcaps of entertainment and strip centers. Growth opportunities are sought throughout NC and SC during the coming 18 months, with representation by EnRich Commercial. Typical leases run 10 to 15 years. Preferred demographics include a population of 100,000 within five miles earning $45,000 as the average household income. A land area of 1.5 acres is required for freestanding locations. For more information, contact Steve Rich, EnRich Commercial, 1600 Camden Road, Charlotte, NC 28203.
 

Treats International Franchise Corp. trades as Treats International at 91 locations throughout FL and Canada. The shops, offering gourmet coffee, bagels, cookies, cakes, soups, salads and wraps, occupy spaces of 200 sq.ft. to 2,500 sq.ft. in freestanding locations, malls, urban/downtown areas and mixed-use centers. Growth opportunities are sought throughout Canada during the coming 18 months. For more information, contact Ryan Gibson, Treats International Franchise Corp., 201-1550A LaPerriere Avenue, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1Z 7T2.

Like these leads?  Want More?  Go to the Dealmakers website for a Subscription. Dealmakers, the nation's weekly news source on retail real estate.