There are millions ideas out there. It seems the more that I look the more I find them.

John A. Bryne posted a quote on FC Now last week from Henry Ford’s autobiography:

An idea is not necessarily good because it is old, or necessarily bad because it is new, but if an old idea works, then the weight of the evidence is all in its favor. Ideas are of themselves extraordinarily valuable, but an idea is just an idea. Almost any one can think up an idea. The thing that counts is developing it into a practical product.

Ah yes, the practical product.

My latest idea came from from a day trip to Princeton, WI. The town was recently highlighted in Milwaukee Magazine as a great day trip from the city. We drove up on Saturday and found a wonderful, eclectic downtown shopping district. I am not sure I have seen a concentration of wonderful shops in such a small area.

I think they are really building something there. I had a chance to talk with some of the business owners. Most didn’t have any experience in retail before opening there shops and the growth of the district has largely been by word of mouth.

I saw this walking through town:

They have an untapped brand staring them right in the face. This logo is painted on the side of an building about a block off the main street. A small microbrewery would go great with the upscale shopping district. I know I just talked about the wonderful microbreweries there are in Wisconsin, and it might be a little crowded for another. Maybe it starts as a resturant and the beer made on contract with another brewery. I don’t know if the foot traffic would support it, but on the other hand, I will often go out of my way to visit at a local microbrewery.

Like I said, it was another idea among many. Is there a practical product?