Mayor, Chamber of Commerce to honor Small Business Saturday

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4 responses to “Mayor, Chamber of Commerce to honor Small Business Saturday”

1. Pibermanf

   November 29, 2013

   Would that it be true that locally owned small business were the backbone of our business community. Big Box City changed that forever. It will take some powerful tax and subsidy initiatives to restore those glory days and take down the welcome sign for Big Boxes. Appointing a Small Business Development Office with a highly capable Director would be a good first step.

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2. irishgirl

   November 29, 2013

   If their prices were in way reasonable, then yes, let’s support them. But from my experience shopping anywhere from SoNo to the Artist Market by the ice rink and everywhere in between, the prices they post are just unbelievable. Especially when you can find the same things for half the price elsewhere.

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3. TG

   November 30, 2013

   @irishgirl, I totally understand what you are saying. It is very hard to justify paying so much more for a similar product elsewhere. And it’s equally hard for a small business owner to compete with big box prices. Over the last couple years, I’ve really started to think about ethical shopping, like who am I supporting from source to sale over the course of the production of the product. Like can I support something made in America versus made in China? Are people suffering somewhere in order for me to have this? And at the point of sale, is my money going more to my neighbors and our local economy or is it lining the pockets of wealthy executives somewhere. So, I try to maybe consume less or fewer items at a greater cost, but make my purchases “count” more, and just do the best I can with the rest. I mean, we have our own personal “economies” to think of too, so if we have to go to Target and Home Depot and What not to make do with our budgets sometimes then that’s what we have to do. Like I said, just the best we can do.

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4. Oldtimer

   December 1, 2013

   When we talk about small business versus big box stores, I am reminded of Dunne’s hardware in Liberty square. I first went there with my father as a small child so he could get something for his boat. We made several trips over several years and they always had what he needed and treated him, and me, as very valued customers. Many years later, with an aarp card in my pocket, I went back to buy supplies for a boat of my own and was greeted as if I had been a regular all that time, and got the same fine service and advice on which product would best suit my needs.
   Today, for the same level of service, although the folks at West Marine are very nice, I would go first to Rex marine and generally pay no more to deal with experts. The big box stores have more pervasive advertising, much larger spaces and displays, and very few people who know much about the products they sell. The big reason I go to big box stores, all over the country, is they all have large free parking lots. Those lots, required by local zoning boards, are the one big advantage the big box stores have.

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