May 9, 2011

Determination Drives Small-Town MerchantsBy Elizabeth M. MackFloridaToday.com

It’s not easy being a local business in a small or rural community, but business owners are finding ways to get by.

Tracey and Charles Jackson opened Jackson’s Drug Store in Monticello 45 years ago.

“Every day is a challenge just to stay in business,” she said. “I think that people in small communities don’t realize that when they leave town, they take the money with them. When these big businesses come in, they take the money. It’s a struggle for local business.”

The Jacksons do everything they can to survive — renting retail space to jewelers and even opening a restaurant inside the drugstore. That’s how they compete with the other drug retailers in the community, such as CVS.

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