Yes, it’s after Christmas, but it’s still important to support the small independent retailers you love. In today’s Daily Hampshire Gazette, a revised, post-holiday version of my piece on the importance of local business. Gazette-thanks for sharing the message!
Here’s the Gazette version.
A Merchant’s Reality Check
NORTHAMPTON – If you don’t know retail, you might think January is the time when store owners like me get to relax. Christmas is over and stores return to their normal rhythm.
That would be nice. It would mean the Christmas season was busy and I’d made enough money to cover us for the slow months of January, February, March and April – or until the snow decides to melt. It would mean I didn’t have to worry about the rent bill due Jan. 1 or whether or not a snowstorm will come on a Saturday, our “big day.” It would mean I didn’t have leftover Christmas season bills.
The reality, however, is that for me, and most small independent retailers, this time of year is when the worrying begins anew.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what, beyond the recession, made this Christmas season so challenging for independent retailers and why we have to worry this coming year.
Two weeks ago, before Christmas, I visited the Holyoke Mall and it was jammed. At the Gap, everything was 30 percent off.
At The Loft? 40 percent.
At The Body Shop, everything you could fit in a bag was 50 percent off if you bought the bag for $5.
At Macy’s, the men’s section had discounts from 30-70 percent off.
Here’s what I realized: I can’t compete. I have a great store, great staff, and great stuff, but I can’t compete.
I can’t do what these stores can do, and let me explain some of the reasons why.
I can’t compete because I pay high rent, with little negotiating power, to landlords who are small independent business owners too. I pay my maintenance and in November was hit by a $600 heating repair bill and a pesky $150 to fix our computers. Last year it was a hot water heater, and a rug a few years before that.
I can’t compete because these days, vendors often require that we pay up front. Christmas and what follows are about making my money back because, no surprise here, there’s debt involved when paying in advance. Getting business credit from a bank or a credit card? Forget it.
I can’t compete because I want to pay my employees the best wage I can. It’s never enough, but it’s what I can afford right now. I used to provide health insurance but that stopped when rates went up, then up again, and then up even more.
I can’t compete because stores at the mall make money no matter what. When they sells things at 30 percent off, they still make a profit. If I do that, I barely cover my costs, not to mention my own shrinking paycheck.
I can’t compete because even with e-commerce sites, I am not Amazon or Zappos, the online equivalent of the shopping mall.
There are other reasons I could list here, but it’s more important to tell you where you come in. It’s about decisions regarding the kind of place you want to live and the kind of shopping you want to do all year long. The less you support small, independent businesses, the less we can compete, and in my opinion, the more we all lose.
There was a lot I didn’t see at the mall.
At the mall, I didn’t see unique offerings made by small vendors or local artisans. I didn’t see things I hadn’t seen before. I didn’t see people acting genuinely excited about the special, just-right item they’d found for their sister, or mother, or friend. I saw quantity, but not much carefully curated quality.
I didn’t see help tailored to individual needs. I didn’t see anyone who could comment on my son’s growth or ask how my mom liked the necklace for her birthday. I didn’t see anyone who knew my size. I didn’t see neighbors, or a great spot for coffee, or a bakery to buy a loaf of bread for dinner. I didn’t see community.
We all have choices to make with our shopping dollars. Admittedly, those choices are tougher these days when there are fewer dollars to go around.
For me, whether I am shopping or selling, it’s not just about the product. It’s about what I’m getting with that. A vibrant community of people engaging with one another and knowing each other, and supporting the stores I love.
Without the small local businesses that make up our towns, it’s more than just retail that is lost.
Sydne J. Didier owns Essentials on Main Street in Northampton.
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