News

September 23, 2008
How Small Stores Can Lure Holiday Shoppers

Call it a customer service Christmas. Consumers are expected to rein in spending this year, and the retail climate favors big-box stores that can offer bargains. But because small retailers can't win price wars (BusinessWeek.com,... more »

September 22, 2008
Retailers face dire holidays forecast

It's beginning to look a lot like a terrible Christmas season.Retail sales in October through December are expected to grow a meager 1.5 percent over last year, the weakest in 17 years, as shoppers pressured... more »

September 22, 2008
Panache offers eclectic gift mix

Whitesboro, NY - For about five years, friends Gretchen LaManque and Karlene Cimo knew they wanted to go into business together. They just weren't sure exactly what they wanted to do.A number of ideas -... more »

September 22, 2008
Front Porch Books, back door prices

A new student at the University of Maine decides to check out the university's bestselling alumnus, Stephen King. They take the plunge into the storytelling master's back catalogue with a nice hardcover edition. The UMaine... more »

September 22, 2008
O. Libby Lumpkin to Cover Collecting Contemporary Art

(LAS VEGAS) –– Las Vegas Design Center at World Market Center Las Vegas will welcome the Consulting Executive Director of the Las Vegas Art Museum, O. Libby Lumpkin, Ph.D., on Friday, October 3, 2008. Dr.... more »

September 21, 2008
Independent pharmacies use different techniques to compete

Athens, GA — When Bill Horton graduated from the University of Georgia's College of Pharmacy in 1959, there were no less than eight independent pharmacies on Clayton Street in downtown Athens. "There's Horton's, which my... more »

September 21, 2008
Middletown store owners want variety of businesses downtown

Middletown, MD — Downtown business owners hope the town can attract a greater variety of new businesses -- the more the merrier. Bob Brenengen, who owns The Main Cup restaurant at 14 W. Main St.... more »

September 21, 2008
Katonah’s merchants go to the dogs

Katonah, NY — The early morning commuters pause on their way to the Metro-North each weekday at Steger's Paper Mill in Katonah to read the paper, shoot the breeze with owner Troy Steger - and to... more »

September 21, 2008
Stay awhile at La De Da — Gift shop aims for local goods

Detroit Lakes, MN — Those who dropped by La De Da Gifts and Décor late last year got a bit of a surprise. Instead of going inside to find a completely new business, they would see... more »

September 21, 2008
A family business from orchard to store

Pateros, WA — Kari Dykes, of Riverside, and her mother Nancy Walters, of Omak, dropped into The Homestead last Monday on their way to Wenatchee and browsed through the gift section.They bought a baby gift... more »

September 21, 2008
Breaking up can lead to a business

San Francisco, CA — Smashing Katie is a startup born from a breakup.An online store geared to women who have recently gone through a divorce or breakup, Smashing Katie sells items ranging from a wedding ring... more »

September 20, 2008
When the tourists leave town …

The winter rains don't just come on the Oregon Coast — they pour and don't stop for tourists, construction workers, house painters or road crews.For many shop owners waiting for the next customer to walk... more »