Death of a Salesman

The best singular approach to keeping small businesses alive is giving them power in the lease negotiation process. It deals directly with the problem of increasing rents as opposed to the other two options mentioned in the article.

The first proposed solution, giving businesses a property tax credit, would not have as big an effect as other solutions because not all tenants pay a large cut of the tax. While this would certainly not be harmful in any way and would indeed allow owners to keep the rent reasonable, this does not prevent owners from increasing rent prices. The second approach, special zoning laws, would also be incredibly helpful but still does not directly address the problem of current renters being driven out. Zoning laws could prevent chain stores and other bigger retailers from attracting customers away from their businesses which would be helpful, but still the rent would probably increase due to other factors such as gentrification.

Ideally, the best way of tackling the problem of disappearing mom-and-pop shops is a combination approach with a heavy focus on media outreach. Small businesses need to make a name for themselves through word of mouth from generation to generation and the media. Their goal should be to market themselves to the current shopper without giving up their identity. Places such as Junior’s have become incredibly famous both within and outside of NYC, partially due to their media presence. Yelp reviews, Times articles, websites and any sort of online attention will help to draw a younger crowd. Most people I know look at Yelp before picking a place to eat. A business that has no online presence in this age is most likely doomed to fail.

My current place of employment, Ample Hills Creamery has recently been named as having the “Best Ice Cream in America” by Food Network. They now have six locations across Brooklyn and Manhattan and one opening up in Disney World. I have watched their business grow during my time working there and I have to contribute a huge portion of their success to their media presence. They have had extensive news coverage, been featured on Oprah, Good Morning America, and the list goes on and on. They update their Instagram and Facebook daily and work incredibly hard to collaborate with successful bakeries. In my opinion (keep this on the DL) Ample Hills’ ice cream is not that good. It’s really sweet, packed with other sweet things, and leaves you feeling like you need a nap. However, the owners hired some very bright, technologically savvy people and are now sitting pretty.

I know that small businesses owners generally do not have the time, money, and/or skill to invest in creating an online presence. However, if every small business were to hire a moderately priced web designer and ask their friends and family to rate them on Yelp, that might really make a difference.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
1. How did you get started in this business?
2. How do you feel about gentrification? How does it affect you?
3. Where do you see yourself in the next year? Ten years? Do you plan on passing this business to your children?