I imagine she had a lot of offers like that, too. But there apparently is a bottleneck on financing -- it's part of the reason no one is hiring. No one is expanding or ramping up right now, they are already spooked and the bank stalling on loans means they aren't trying, or aren't getting anything if they do try.

Owning a building would indeed be ideal. But that's unlikely in any city right now. People who own commercial property aren't going to start bookstores, unless they want the loss against something else. I know someone who could guarantee three years of rent to a building owner, but the owner went for half the money to allow a bank to expand. The word guarantee still wasn't enough.