By Doug Stephens
A few months ago I posted a comment to my blog on retailwire.com. It was in response to an article by Kim Crow, style editor for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. In it she suggested that consumers are finding reasons not to shop local stores and instead continue to shop mass and chain stores. She and her readers cited several reasons for this, including limited store hours, sometimes sketchy return policies and the feeling of being under the microscope of the owner and staff while in the store.
I had to agree with her and added that I felt that sadly, the majority of local independent retail isn’t terribly remarkable. My point was that many local stores lacked compelling enough propositions to make consumers forgive their short-comings in other areas. The value equation just doesn’t add up and for consumers and consequently many local stores struggle.
The post was picked up by Lori Smith, Editor for Gifts and Tablewares Magazine and published in her blog. The result was a great deal of passionate conversation and debate from readers, many of whom were themselves local retailers, about what being a remarkable store really meant.
I was later contacted by the magazine and asked if I’d be willing to do a video interview explaining in greater detail, what I meant by “remarkable” and if I could identify a particular independently owned store that I felt was remarkable.
Here’s video of the interview.
Tell us what you think. Do you feel that local retail in general is suffering from a shortage of remarkable value propositions? Are there any retailers you know of that you think are offering remarkable store experiences? Let us know.
Tags: Experience, retail store, Small Business
I think your point of relevancy is bang on. I also feel context is key – especially with retail. In this case, a nostalgic candy store works so well in the ‘old main street’ environment
I totally agree Nick. The context of the experience is key and in the case of the Old Fire Hall Confectionery, the location and adjacency to other old-style stores, really heightens the experience.