I've heard it said that one way to survive in business is to concentrate on one thing and do it better than anyone else. Ellen (there, satisfied?) sent me a link to a story titled The Store sells rice pudding. Nothing Else

Mr. Moceo, who said he once owned a restaurant called Bally-hoo's in Smithtown, N.Y., originally wanted to open a sit-down restaurant featuring only rice dishes. After struggling with the concept for months, he said, he flew to Italy to relax. As he ate intensely flavored desserts in Florence's stylish gelaterias, inspiration struck.

But when he got back to New York and began researching rice pudding recipes, he said, "my friends didn't understand where I was going with this."

Worse, "landlords refused to rent to me, because they didn't see how I could pay the rent selling rice pudding." Mr. Moceo, who declined to say how much he has spent on the project, said it was "less than you'd think -- I did most of the work myself." He had "no partners, no investors." [New York Times]

I'm not a huge fan of rice pudding myself, but this article makes me want to give it a try.