Jan 7, 2008

Saving mom and pop; Downtown business owners work to stay in businessBy Bernie DelinskiTimesDaily.com

The bell rang at Ye Ole General Store in Florence, signaling the arrival of a customer.

Owner Gordon Glasscock looked up to see who it was and his eyes immediately lit up.

It was one of his regular customers. Immediately, she started asking Glasscock how his mother is doing. She also talked about how she misses seeing his father, who passed away a couple of years ago.

He asked how things have been for her, and eventually they got around to business when she explained she was looking for gloves.

After purchasing several items, she told Glasscock to pass along her well wishes for his mother. He smiled and said he’d be glad to do so.

Such a scene is not unusual for Glasscock, who took over his parents’ 35-year-old Seminary Street business a few years ago when they retired.

“Repeat business is something you’ve got to hang on to,” he explains. “Quite a few customers, I’ve come to know by first name. One thing a small store can do that a big-box store can’t is provide that customer service.”

Owners of the “mom and pop” type businesses in the Shoals say a personal relationship with the customer is essential to staying afloat when competing against corporations.

City and business leaders often speak of how locally owned businesses are important for the lives of local downtowns.

But with big-box stores thriving, the mom-and-pop stores struggle to survive. So what does it take to make it?

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