Good place to start a small business? (Portland, Medford: crime, high school)

[WolfiesMomma]

Our family is looking to relocate to Oregon from Nevada. We are hoping to open a tattoo shop in the next year, but we fear the economy. We have been considering Medford since we have family in Grants Pass, but we are worried about the crime in the area and the schools. We have an 18 month old, and we plan on staying wherever we decide until he has graduated from high school, so a good school system is key. Not many of you may be familiar with the tattoo business, but we are looking for an unsaturated market, with a healthy economy. I have been reading up on Bend, but I have yet to actually visit the city yet. Basically, is it a good idea to start a small business anywhere in Oregon right now?

[BLAZER PROPHET]

You're asking several questions.

First, is anywhere a good place to start a small business these days?

Second, is Medford a good place to open a tattoo shop? Sure, why not? I say this nicely, but there are a lot of people in the Medford area that would be likely to get a tattoo regardless of the economy. Also, if you do good work, have very competitive pricing and connect with your customers, you should always have a chance to succeed.

Third, is Medford good to raise kids- especially the schools. I would say it is. I've always heard pretty good things about Medford schools and the area is very nice, weather wise.

[davefr]

I'd focus on the Portland area where there's more demand. However the OR economy is not healthy nor are the other 49 states. However it's probably a good time to get started so that once the business is setup it can prosper when the economy recovers.

[karlsch]

If these Web sites are correct, there are at least five tattoo shops in Medford:

Medford Tattoo Shops - Find a tattoo shop in the Medford Oregon area.

Epic Ink

So you would have plenty of already established competition to compete against.

[WolfiesMomma]

Thank you all for your input. Does anyone know what the economy is largely based on in the Medford area? In Vegas its tourism, so we are being heavily hit in all areas of our economy.
What about Bend? I read that it is the fastest growing city in Oregon, but I don't know if it is as tattoo friendly as the Medford area.
We know that now is not the best time to start a business, but we have low overhead and can easily survive lean months. Vegas is really hurting now and there are way too many competitors, so we have ruled it out completely. 5 shops to compete with is not bad as long as the area is growing, but this again is a concern with Medford.
So basically, I am just wondering if anyone knows how the growth is in both the Bend and Medford areas, and what their economies are largely based on.
Thanks again!