Why do small businesses go out of business and what can you do to help?
The short answer is support. How many times have you walked past that small, dimly lit store-front and wondered what they sold inside? How many times have you thought about purchasing something from a small business and instead purchased the same thing from a large box retailer? How many times have you ventured into a boutique store and thought that there prices were too expensive? I'm sure your answer to these questions is more than once, as was mine.
A few years before I owned a small business, I used to think it was silly to pay more for a product from a mom and pop shop. I used to walk past those small storefronts and swear I would never buy anything from them. I would always ask myself why. Why pay more? I used to think it was easier to just get in my car and drive to Target or just order whatever I need from Amazon. It was easy. It was quick. It was seamless. It was cheaper. The fact that today we can get anything (almost anything) delivered to us has changed the way we shop and what we perceive as "valuable".
I still remember my first small business visit. It was my first day working in Manhattan. I had just graduated college and it was my first day on the job. Since I was new, I decided to take a walk and explore the area. I had no concept of where I was in relation to Upper West Side, Alphabet City or Tribeca. As I leave the office, I see a slew of small businesses. Each one completely different. From coffee shops to boutiques, there was an endless sea of options. One small clothing boutique caught my eye. I had never been to a boutique before, as I purchased all my clothes from the mall.
I open the door to this stark white store. There were a few articles of clothing sparsely hanging from various clothes racks. There was one women at the register, who glanced up to see who/what had entered the store, and after a millisecond goes back to doing whatever she was doing. No acknowledgement. No hello. No "How can I help you?". Nothing. I felt invisible. I felt out of place. Too embarrassed to leave. I walked towards one of the clothing racks and looked at a black t-shirt. The shirt felt soft and I imagined what I'd look like in it. As I take the shirt off the rack, I turn over the price tag. To my shock it read $225. WHAT?! How could a plain black t-shirt cost that much? That cost more than the entire outfit I had on, including my shoes and bags! I immediately put the shirt back on the rack. As I come back from the sticker shock, I hear the store door open. In walks a tall, thin, perfectly manicured women wearing sunglasses. Before she can even take off her sunglasses, the lady at the register jumps and says "Hello! Welcome. Let me know if there's anything I can help with." Suddenly, I started to fill up with anger. Why hadn't the lady at the store asked me if I needed help, or worse, why didn't she even acknowledge me? Then, I realized, why. She was profiling. She must've known that I couldn't afford anything in that store. But what if she was wrong, what if I could afford it? At that moment, I swore I would never walk into another small business or boutique again.
Fast forward several years later, I realized that my first interaction with a small business had been skewed. That interaction was the exception, not the norm. Everything changed, after the husband and I had decided to take a quick winter getaway to Newport, Rhode Island. Newport was just far enough to feel like a getaway, but close enough that I wouldn't lose my mind sitting in a car for hours. It was a cold, gloomy day and as we approached our hotel, I noticed that the majority of the stores were closed. There were barely any cars on the road, even less parked on the street. The sidewalks were desolate and everything was still coated with a thin layer of snow. There was something charming in the quietness of it all and it felt as though I was so far away from home, away from the bustling of NYC.
After we check-in to the hotel and settle into our room, we decide to go exploring. Side bar: One of our favorite things to do when visiting a new place is to walk. Walk the streets. Walk the town. Literally, try to walk as far as we possibly can (we even walked one time 6 miles to eat at a hot dog joint in Portugal... I'll share that absurd story at a later time.)
As the husband and I walk up and down the streets of downtown Newport, mostly everything was closed, except for one tiny shop. We walk inside the shop and it's lined with various Rhode Island gear, souvenirs and an eclectic mix of stuff. There at the counter, was an older woman who greeted us with a warm small. She asks us if we're visiting and where from. We start having a conversation with her and she's the sweetest person. She tells us the story of how she opened her store and how she's managed to stay in business for 30 years. There was something about her, something about her energy that was infectious. I wanted to buy everything she had. I wanted to help contribute to her staying open. I wanted to support her dream. After that moment, I understood the beauty that is a small business.
A small business is not just a business, it's a dream manifested. It's someone's idea. Someone's vision. Someone's dream. Someone's entire life. Someone's future. A small business is the tomorrow.
As now a small business owner myself, I understand too well the struggle of keeping the doors open. Staying afloat. Hoping that others will share your vision and buy into your dream, into what you've created. If we want our neighborhood spots to stay open, we have to support them. Not just once. Not only when it's a special occasion, but frequently. Small businesses depend on YOU. They depend on you making the choice to buy from them, as opposed to the big box competitors. Don't get me wrong, I love me some Target and Amazon, but there has to be a balance. We cannot overlook the small businesses, who have risked it all, to bring their product, their food or their service to you. To give you options. To give you novelty.
So, the next time you walk past a small business, stop. Take a moment. Go inside. Look around. Say hello. Odds are you'll probably be greeted by the owner and you may be in for a wonderful surprise - a genuine conversation and brief history of the business and their "why". It breaks my heart when small businesses close. It makes me irate when friends complain about a small business closing in their neighborhood, but yet they only bought something from them once. The key to helping keep small businesses stay in business is support. It's loyalty. It's referring friends and family. It's helping spread the word. It's simply making the choice to support a small business as opposed to purchasing the same thing from a big box retailer.
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