This person messed with the wrong person.
William currently only had thirty thousand dollars. After some inquiry, he found out that even a slightly larger storefront would cost nearly a hundred thousand dollars a year in rent. If it were a prime commercial area, the rent would be even higher. Landlords often preferred stable income streams, so they typically required tenants to sign long-term contracts of three, five, or more years.
"I'll buy a storefront," William said, having never been in the habit of renting a store.
In the past, if one wanted a small shop, a place to settle, they could build it themselves. Even later on, when one had to buy land, it wasn't expensive. At least it wasn't as astronomically expensive as it is now.
"Buying a storefront… If it's in the city center, it would likely cost several million, maybe even close to ten million dollars," Alice thought out loud, and then added, "I have some money. I could ask my grandfather for more."