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My son was talking to me about Garden City Bait and Tackle Shop. He was telling me all the things they had at their store (he gets very excited about that stuff). I had mentioned to him that he should give them his business, as opposed to the chain stores, when he needs things that they carry.
Now don't all the chain store workers get mad at me here, I too am a Walmart shopper, but I was hoping to gather a list of local Mom and Pop stores in the area. It is a tough economy and I am sure many have gone out of business but if some have managed to survive I would love to know who and where they are. I am hoping there are still some out there.
Every large succesful chain store started as a small family business. The Walton's (Walmart) are the best example of this.
You gotta wonder about people who open restaurants, stores, or businesses in general that only have one location and no growth plans afrer even a few years of opening, and I've seen many losers with single store operations after 50 years or more!
Reward Bass Pro Shops for fishing needs. They create more jobs, tax revenue, etc. If they go out of business even in a place like Myrtle Beach, thousands go unemployed (counting the trickle effect from their spending habits). If the small one man bait shop closes, nobody cares, and the owner becomes a "chain store" employee..
Sharklike,
I wasn't trying to start a political debate about the merits of the big chain stores, if fact I mentioned in my original post that I was a chain store shopper. But since you brought it up I will tell you why I am looking for Mom and Pop stores and what is missing when there is a lack of them.
Quote:
Sharklike said: I've seen many losers with single store operations after 50 years or more!
The single store operation is exactly what I am looking for. You call them "losers" I call them devoted, knowledgeable store owners that provide a personal and informed service. I know when I walk into my local Mom and Pop hardware store in search of items I need for that new project that the man behind the counter is going to be experienced enough to point me in the right direction and that shortly after getting home I won't have to turn around and go back out to return and replace what I original bought.
Quote:
Sharklike said: Reward Bass Pro Shops for fishing needs. They create more jobs, tax revenue, etc. If they go out of business even in a place like Myrtle Beach, thousands go unemployed (counting the trickle effect from their spending habits). If the small one man bait shop closes, nobody cares, and the owner becomes a "chain store" employee
I don't have a problem with Bass Pro Shop and they will survive just find even if my son makes the purchases he can from the local bait and tackle shop. However the reverse is not true and losing that local merchant would be a huge loss for for my son and the community, and he WOULD care. Coming from fishing the Maryland waters of the Chesapeake Bay and C & D Canal my son needed a lot of guidance. The people you find behind the counters in these small bait and tackle stores have been here for years, if not all their lives. They offer a friendly, insightful perspective that you may not find from the employee at the big chains who may be a recent transplant or even worse may not even fish.
When I was in PA we had many Mom and Pop stores. Mel owned the local pharmacy and didn't need to search the computer to see if you had medications that didn't mix because he knew you and your health issues. Ron at the meat market always knew what I purchased regularly and would set aside an item that was on sale for me just incase it sold out before I got there for my weekly visit.
It shouldn't be a case of "out with old, and in with the new". Your chain stores will do just fine. Let's not forget the the valuable, irreplaceable service that our local merchants provide to our communities. They should be appreciated! I for one would miss them if they were all gone.
If the small one man bait shop closes, nobody cares, and the owner becomes a "chain store" employee..
On Spring Break and bored? If you're over 14, that's a pathetic posting. Yeah, a lot of people care. Family and friends who have watched them work 12-14 hours a day care. Customers who have become friends and depend upon their smile when they walk into the Mom & Pop shop also care. Most of us who consider ourselves part of a community know someone who has given too much of themselves in a small business, only to find it wasn't quite enough, and we care. SharkLike, may your future be full of many days working as a chain store employee, where "everybody cares".
neecewh, you'd be surprised how many of the shops in our neck of the woods are "Mom & Pop", particularly the restaurants. I can learn more in 5 minutes in Perry's Bait & Tackle, MI, than I can in a day in Bass Pro. Sadly, we lost Mr. Perry in the past year. Most of the restaurants in MI, with the exception of the Divine chain, could well be considered Mom & Pop. Russell's is one of my favorite. Russell Vereen and his family have run MI restaurants forever, and they represent all that is good in small businesses. Hanser House in PI is owned and run by "Granny" who lives in the back of the restaurant with her husband. After workiing for years at Lee's Inlet Kitchen, she took the scary step of heading out on her own and they are doing quite well. God Bless 'em, that's what America is all about. Mike & Judy at Carolina Gourmet in the Hammock Shops show up and run the shop every day. They work hard and hope for the best. It's good in the good times and hang on in the tough times like today. The majority of the Hammock Shops can say exactly the same thing. The Mom & Pops are all around us, and you're absolutely right, they deserve our business.
On Spring Break and bored? If you're over 14, that's a pathetic posting.
LOL ... if it would let me PD I would be giving Reps to you for having the courage to say what I dare only think
I am glad to hear there are still Mom and Pops and I look forward to learning about them. We had many in PA but I can't say the same about MD. I am glad to know that the local merchants have managed to shine in the shadows of those big concrete walls.
IMO, Mom & Pops have a different feel around here. I'm afraid the local general store is fast dying in all but the smallest towns. Elsewhere, small, family-owned groceries, hardware stores, pharmacies, etc. still succeed by building lasting relationships with their customers, who are usually local. After awhile, a trip to the store is almost like visiting with friends. Here, even these stores must depend upon business from tourists, who they may never see again. Still, these family-owned businesses are the cornerstone of our community. While it may take a little more work to build that relationship with them, it is no less rewarding.
The exception is local bait & tackle shops, like the one your son visited. It seems wherever you go, they never change, and are always worth a leisurely visit.
It may be off topic a bit but Sharklike's comments made me think of the movie, Wall-E. There was nothing left in America but one big Box store (Walmart like). All Americans were brainwashed into becoming lazy blobs dependent on the big box store chain to provide them their slurpess as they whipped around in robotic chairs because they were too lazy and fat to walk. I'm sorry but I really don't patronize Wal-Mart too much. I wish that I could say I never had to hit Wally World but I live in-land for the majority of the year and we do not have a target or much of anything else in our small town. But I say all of that to say this.....I've had friends (mom and pop shops) driven out of business by Wal-mart. I don't want to have all of my purchase options dictated by a single super-conglommerate like Walmart. I like the variety, personality and entrepreneurial spirit of the mom and pops and will continue to join an increasing number of folks who are looking to support our local economies.
Everyone seemed to have missed my point, which was a "mom & pop" single operation is a loser operation. Just because someone bangs nails or waits tables at their restaurant 20 hours a day doesn't mean they work hard. That's working stupid!
Respect the person who understood how to leverage what little "mom & pop" business they started with, along with a business plan that closed the competition, and cashed out when they hired an I-Bank (Investment Bank) to take them public and make real money ($50M or more), while still retaining a large percentage of company ownership with nothing to do but show up for a few meetings and golf all day...
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Yeah, a lot of people care. Family and friends who have watched them work 12-14 hours a day care. Customers who have become friends and depend upon their smile when they walk into the Mom & Pop shop also care. Most of us who consider ourselves part of a community know someone who has given too much of themselves in a small business, only to find it wasn't quite enough, and we care. SharkLike, may your future be full of many days working as a chain store employee, where "everybody cares".
