Jacki Zehner’s Post

Why Shopping at Mom-and-Pop Stores Matters Today is National Mom-and-Pop Business Owners Day. There are several reasons why people choose to shop at mom-and-pop stores despite the prevalence of larger chain stores and online retailers. Here are some main reasons why it matters: Personalized Service: Mom-and-pop stores often provide personalized services that larger retailers may not offer. Since these businesses are typically run by the owners or family members, they can develop personal relationships with their customers, understand their preferences, and provide tailored recommendations. Unique Products: Many mom-and-pop stores specialize in unique products that may not be readily available at larger chain stores. These businesses often curate their inventory based on local tastes, trends, and demand, offering a selection of goods that reflects the character and identity of the community. Supporting the Local Economy: Shopping at mom-and-pop stores supports the local economy by keeping money circulating within the community. These businesses create jobs, contribute to local tax revenue, and often source their products from local suppliers, further bolstering the regional economy. Community Connection: Mom-and-pop stores are integral parts of their communities, serving as gathering places where neighbors can interact, socialize, and build relationships. By patronizing these businesses, customers contribute to the sense of community and help preserve local traditions and character. Fostering Entrepreneurship: Supporting mom-and-pop stores encourages entrepreneurship and small business ownership. These businesses often embody the entrepreneurial spirit, with owners taking risks to pursue their passions and provide for their families. By supporting them, customers contribute to the diversity and vitality of the business landscape. Environmental Impact: Shopping locally at mom-and-pop stores can have environmental benefits by reducing the carbon footprint associated with transportation and distribution. Since these businesses often source products locally and on a smaller scale, they may have lower energy consumption and emissions compared to larger retailers. Preserving Tradition: Many people value the sense of tradition and nostalgia associated with shopping at mom-and-pop stores. These businesses often have deep roots in their communities, spanning multiple generations, and shopping at them can evoke feelings of nostalgia for simpler times and a sense of connection to local history. Overall, shopping at mom-and-pop stores offers numerous benefits beyond mere transactions. It fosters community bonds, supports local economies, and celebrates the spirit of entrepreneurship and individuality. #momandpopshop #momandpopshops #momandpopbusinessownersday

Great article by Dennis Limmer of RetailWire outlining the merits of a "pop up" program for retailers. Amongst the many retailers mentioned in the article is Spirit Halloween. Joe Marver was the founder of Spirit. Joe and I were the first two entrepreneurs to develop a profitable business operating pop ups (known as temporary retail at that point) outside an enclosed mall environment in vacant retail spaces, typically over 10,000/sf. Joe was focused on Northern California selling Halloween merchandise. I was (and remain) based in Knoxville opening temporary bookstores nationwide dba The Book Market. Over the period of 17 years, we opened over 1,100 units and had a great deal of success. The acceptance of "pop ups" by the marketplace has been fun to watch. Ignorance can be bliss and when I started leasing space for The Book Market, no landlord that I worked with for the first five years or so had done a short-term lease. I developed many relationships that I still value today. Pop up retail is the foundation of my career and taught me many valuable lessons along the way. It's a niche that I remain passion about, and this article is spot on in many of the attributes. #retail #retailtrends #retailnews #cre #popups #livewire #torg https://lnkd.in/eeaCUeCs

My favorite Gen Z's say it best - online shopping is for browsing while in-person shopping is for buying. No matter how good your website may be, if the touch-and-feel aspect of your brand is a key feature, no question you have to provide a brick-and-mortar offering.

Here are some deeper dive stories worth reading from the world of retail: 🏬 The decline of the luxury department store: The struggles of two Swiss retail institutions and the collapse of René Benko’s Signa Group reveal a waning business model. Essentially, this is a modern fairy story about how sometimes the stardust of luxury (and a tidal wave of cheap credit) is enough to deflect investors, commentators and rational observers from seeing a business model in decline. Albeit a very old and prestigious one, bound up with the history of modern consumption itself.  🔗 Link: https://bit.ly/3OF0LOb 📦 The DTC boom has come to an end: A once-bustling group of companies, backed by billions in venture capital funding, saw a record year for IPOs in 2021. Now, three years later, most of those direct-to-consumer, or DTC, companies still struggle with profitability. One of the problems with a lot of direct-to-consumer companies is they’re not profitable and a number of them don’t really have a convincing pathway to profitability.  🔗 Link: https://bit.ly/3SVg4DV 🚔 Was the shoplifting scare real? Over the last couple of years, it seemed that America was experiencing a shoplifting epidemic. Videos of people brazenly stealing merchandise from retailers often went viral; chains closed some of their stores and cited a rise in theft as the primary reason. But evidence of a spike in shoplifting, it turns out, was mostly anecdotal. In fact, there’s little data to suggest that there’s a nationwide problem in need of an immediate response. That’s not to say, of course, that shoplifting ought to be ignored. 🔗 Link: https://bit.ly/48hCTqK 📕 A big-box store allegory: The Atlantic reviews Adelle Waldman’s new novel, Help Wanted, in which she explores life in an upstate shopping warehouse. In the book, focusing on a store titled number 1512, empty shelves pockmark the aisles, giving the store a dilapidated feel. “Corporate” (a vague presence) wants store managers to prioritize low budgets above all else, so the managers have concluded that empty shelves are preferable to spending money on workers to stock items. Business has faded, stolen by an unnamed online retail giant. This image of shrinkage evokes the mood of the novel, which takes place in fictional, hollowed-out Potterstown, in upstate New York. 🔗 Link: https://bit.ly/3SUIxe0 👩⚖️ Mike Ashley v Morgan Stanley: In a case that could shake Wall Street, freewheeling retail tycoon Mike Ashley is suing Morgan Stanley over a $1bn trading row that caused chaos. His retail empire Frasers Group is currently seeking £50m in damages from the investment bank, after it claimed Morgan Stanley had acted “arbitrarily” and “incorrectly” by trying to force the retailer to close options positions it had built in Hugo Boss, costing the company millions as a result. 🔗 Link: https://bit.ly/42EqLPE #retail #retailnews #economy #TopRetailExperts #RetailDeepDive

Part of what I do is position DucieClub LLC and it’s #Duciedata to meet the needs of what’s coming. That research and planning doesn’t just start here in America. Tracking companies is something I do globally. Case in point Daiso👇🏽 https://lnkd.in/g_kQYVKp I’ve had to field so many questions of late that brick and mortar stores are going bye bye because of some viral social media posts. There’s much more to how the supply chain and financial markets work and the crucial role brick and mortars play to keeping the global economy from cratering. Next time you hear brick & mortar stores are forever going to go away because of online retailers. Think of this…wasn’t email suppose to make USPS nearly extinct… 🤔 🤯 Conscious Capitalism, Inc. Lauren Law Anna Farberov David Schwartz CodeLaunch Accelerator Ben Ghazi

As rents for retail spaces in NYC continue to rise, small businesses get creative with their business models. Some are charging shelf fees while others are expanding their e-commerce platforms. Check out The New York Times article about how small shops are diversifying their business, with input from Program Director Thomaï Serdari. #retail #innovation #business https://lnkd.in/dZm-aRif

As department stores and online giants struggle, a new generation of independent boutiques are carving out their own path for success. Often that means eschewing easy online sales, investing in brick-and-mortar offerings and taking a chance on emerging labels. Read more by BoF's Cathaleen Chen

Stop & Shop today announced it will be closing an unknown number of "underperforming" stores (https://lnkd.in/gEircZHP). As with any closure of a grocery store owned by private interests, the community of eaters, workers and suppliers who rely on the store are not consulted. While some might balk at such an idea, asserting the economy is self-regulating itself, Stop & Shop in particular challenges that supposition. Throughout its history, Stop & Shop has become notorious for acquiring and embedding restrictive covenants into land and building titles to prevent other grocers from opening in or near their open or closed locations. The company has even gone so far as to acquire land simply to put a restriction on it, and then sell that land, restriction attached. This presents clear evidence that no, this is not a self-regulating economy, this is anti-competitive behavior, and quite frankly, inhumane to the people who rely on these stores. I write about this in my book and in this recent article: https://lnkd.in/gueC5TKb This is also why the Canadian government announced on May 24 that it is beginning to investigate this practice among the two most dominant grocers who control 50% of the national market. READ: https://lnkd.in/g5dhmZXx Along similar lines, this is why the City of San Francisco wants to resurrect a 1984 ordinance that would require grocers to give a community six-months notice before closing, hold a community meeting, and seek out a replacement. READ: https://lnkd.in/gXexk2tC This is also why the consumer co-operative model is also so compelling. "Underperforming"? Not a problem... the co-op grocer will keep figuring it out, after all, it's in service to the community, not a Dutch multinational. Acquisition? Never. This would require a vote by a majority of the store's customers (often in the thousands). #whoownsyourgrocerystore ? #groceryretail #competitionlaw #antitrust

"Pop-up stores can be a profoundly useful strategy for brands and retailers looking to test new markets or offerings," says Mark Ryski, Author, CEO & Founder of HeadCount Corporation. "And while landlords may be somewhat reticent to offer space on a temporary basis, I suspect that many others would be happy to oblige. The prospect of a more permanent arrangement should be compelling enough. Any retailer/brand contemplating a pop-up store should also make sure that they outfit these locations not only with product and staff, but also traffic counters so that they can measure visits and importantly conversion rates. Comparing the performance of the pop-ups to their other locations will provide meaningful insights that can not only help determine success of the pop-up store, but also inform future decisions and refinements." Check out more insights from one of the retail industry’s leading experts - https://buff.ly/3qRfPx2. More great comments on this topic by RetailWire's BrainTrust experts including: Neil Saunders, Jenn McMillen CLMP, Trevor Sumner, David Biernbaum, Arnjah Dillard, CAPM, Gary Sankary, •Shep Hyken, Allison McCabe, Georganne Bender, Lucille DeHart, Jeff Sward, Mark Self, Michael Zakkour, Warren Shoulberg, and Anil Patel.