What is a local, independent business, really?

{Editorial: This was a post that I wrote and published two years ago ~ as we enter the holiday retail season, and especially in advance of Small Business Saturday, I thought it would be good to put it out there again. I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments.}

When I was young, I used to view stores as “corporate entities” {a term from my lawyer days} – cold, lifeless businesses with stuff inside to buy or to browse. After spending eight years owning retail boutiques, I now know that businesses – especially local independent businesses – are so much more. They are very similar to humans ~ living, breathing beings with a heart, a soul, and a personality.

Just like giving birth, the owners of these beings imagine them into reality, plan for their arrival, and nurture them through infancy. Throughout the lives of these beings, the owners learn how to improve and make them grow into better beings, live through the growing pains of adolescence, and take pride as these beings evolve into mature organizations. Some owners even give birth to additional beings, taking what they’ve learned in rearing the first and applying it to the life cycle of the second. Just like with children, the owners of independent stores find themselves thinking about their businesses when they first awake in the morning and as they fall asleep at night, and often as they lay awake in the middle of the night.

Invariably, these businesses have a distinct personality ~ a personality that is shaped by the owners and embodied by the people who staff them. You can tell the personality of a good store within the first few minutes of entering ~ when it feels like you’ve just entered the home of a good neighbor. You are greeted with a smile and a warm welcome, often by name if you’ve visited before.

Stationery stores, in particular, tend to develop close relationships with their customers. When working on birth announcements, we are thrilled at the anticipation of their new arrival and overcome with joy at the birth of their babies. We get caught up in the excitement of brides and grooms, and do everything we can to help make the dreams of their big day a reality. We are thrilled at coming up with the perfect wording for a child’s birthday party invitation. We revel in gleaning the personality of an individual so we can create the perfect stationery to express their style. We help select and cheerfully wrap their gifts in a stunning presentation to help make the recipient feel even more special. And, we are saddened ~ often moved to tears ~ in working on sympathy acknowledgments.

In these stressful economic times, these local independent businesses are facing declining sales, rising expenses, increasing competition from online entities {and often from their own vendors}, and the death of their friends. Every day, the owners of these businesses are required to make tough decisions ~ which items to buy that customers will respond to favorably and purchase, how much of those items to buy so they don’t end up holding old inventory, whether to offer a discount on some items in an effort to increase sales but somehow still meet operating expenses, dreaming up promotions that will drive traffic into the store, and so on.

Just like every parent, the owners of these independent businesses take great pride in the reputation they’ve built and light up when they are told that their “babies” have done a great job. Similarly, these owners and the staff that care so much are hurt deeply by inconsiderate questions, disrespectful comments, and negative tones uttered about their “babies.” When we spend hours with a bride educating her about wedding invitations and helping her select just the right invitation set, and she then tells us that she ordered her invitations online or purchased them from a competitor at a discount, we are hurt. When we are asked with disgust why we don’t carry an extremely specific item in exactly the motif, shade or price point the customer is looking for, we are disappointed that we can’t meet someone’s expectations. When we are told that, although our products and service are phenomenal, we should offer deep discounts, we are bruised.

Many times, these types of behavior are really the result of a lack of understanding that these small businesses are living, breathing entities with feelings. During the impending holiday season ~ often a make-or-break time for many small businesses ~ we would all do well to remember that these “entities” are the result of the blood, sweat and tears {literally!} of the owners and their dedicated staff members. If you are pleased with your experience, let them know they’ve done a good job. If you are disappointed in something, you may want to let the owner or staff member know of an expectation that was not met {maybe they can get or create something for you}. Just remember that it’s not always what you say, but how you say it, that means the most. And, if you appreciate the personality of a local independent business, help them to stay alive by continuing to give them your business. {For more on the impact that your purchases at independent businesses have on your local community, see the 3/50 Project.}