We are losing our choices

Many people tell me I shouldn't feel badly, that it's not my shop that failed. That this is happening everywhere and that many small businesses just like mine are fading into nothing but pictures and memories.

That's true, and while I realize I'm not alone, it doesn't make me feel better about what I see happening. Some folks are eager to discount the importance of small shops and independently owned stores, saying it's so sad, how times they are a'changin', and the dreaded "p word"....progress.

Is progress always good and does just the fact that something falls into the past a great accomplishment? Or are they just using the word to imply that what everyone does nowadays is good; that when many people move in a certain direction that it's a positive thing? Is falling into place in the herd of sheep lined up at the entrance to walmart the best possible thing, or is it just what's become "the norm".

What were to happen if some massive change in economy or transit of goods and products occurred, that limited our choices and availability of things to buy? What if the chain stores ending up controlling every aspect of our shopping and there were no alternative? Do we really only want to have BJ's, Sam's Club, Target and a few others?

Lest it appear that I've lost my mind and am comparing my shop to the giants, let me clarify that's not the point here. The real issues lies with us having options and choosing where we can spend. But the more independents we lose, the few choices remain. And that my friends, is a tragedy for America. Because it sends a message that only the strong survive and the small vanish, we may lose our towns, the unique flavors of where we live and most of all, our sense of community.







#chainstores #retailgiants #limitedchoices #goodbye #smallbusiness #thefinal90 #momandpop #locallyowned #shoplocal #choices #livelocal #yourcommunity #smallshopsclosing #nomoreindependents #deathofsmallbusiness

Time travel offered free!

Today I wanted to share with you something I'd written several years ago, probably around 2009. At the time I felt it captured how fortunate I felt to be here and to have this place, and yet, you can read the bit of worry starting to creep in....

There’s a moment when you know you have connected with your customer; that you've truly interested them. Perhaps you offered them something completely unusual, or really listened to what they were trying to ask for.

I see in their eyes when they reach for a package of Sen-Sens that they haven't found in decades, upon spying a display of Teaberry Gum, or when they bolt out the door with the clanking bell, to smack their Bonomo’s Turkish Taffy on the pavement just for old time’s sake. The year that item returned to production - much to the mortification of their children - many adults did just that.

You connect when you listen to them tell you about a long-gone sweet shop, a "special place" they would accompany a relative to, perhaps where Grandma went to purchase butterscotch buttons, peppermint drops or candied ginger. It might have been the only place in the neighborhood where a favorite type of licorice was sold and they try to describe it, reaching for words in the archives of time; perhaps it was shaped like a coin, or a button? I point to several choices – no, maybe a little smaller than that they say, trying to picture it in their mind; and suddenly it clicks in mine. I turn to the stash of tubs and containers behind the counter and select a piece of candy - and suddenly their eyes are misty and they are time-traveling, back to that corner shop from childhood. They savor the moment and the taste; silently reflecting; enjoying the treat just as if all the years had not passed. A fading memory of times back in the city, brief sugar interludes after school or a special visit with a beloved parent; I listen to the stories as they spill out their recollections. And I'm richer for having had those chances.

Yes, I believe in time travel, because it HAPPENS here. New candies and treats and flavors of taffy are always coming out and we have many of those things. But the heart and soul of my shop represents a different time; when made in China wasn't an option, much less a standard. It was before mega-marts and big box stores stomping out the mom and pop icons; when independent stores took your money and then turned around to reinvest it in our country. I still do that – I seek out the family owned companies which are committed to offering a product made here with pride – many of them with several generations of candy makers in their families.

And yet, I'm a dinosaur. Investing in America is no longer appreciated; valued, understood. The latest and greatest gummy candy shaped like a popular cartoon figure is what's in demand, and I can't in good conscience offer that knowing it may be laced with toxins. I can however, take you back in time - if you are willing to come in and enjoy the ride.



#oldfashioned #sweetshop #timetravel #whatweoffer #smallbusiness #localicon #finallyclosing #supportlocal
#pennycandy #confectionary #memories  #childhood #classiccandies #after35years #thefinal90 #endofanera