The Generational American Business

Generational small businesses are disappearing in America. The local hardware store with the family name. The mom-and-pop restaurant. The garage passed from father to son.. The grocery store that closed early on Sunday afternoon. The drugstore that filled prescriptions while serving ice cream.

It seems as if the only local business that does not die is the liquor store. One can come to their own conclusion about that.

Small business is the life blood of a community. It keeps people employed. It provides services. It keeps money in the community.

When we replace small businesses with big businesses we take away from our community. Our money now goes to the owners of the big business and into their bank and not the local one. People usually must leave their town to work. This causes lost time that we can use for other things.

People who have dreams of accomplishing a niche in business lose the opportunity because they do not have the money to compete with the big business chains.

There are many who like and are always asking for big chain stores and restaurants in their towns. If they are from another town, they might miss what they had left behind in the town. If they live in a town and see what others have, they might want it as well.

Many who live in rural areas wish that they had the same things that the towns they work in have. Especially those who moved to those towns to get peace and quiet. Unfortunately, we cannot have it both ways. Either we get big business and all that comes with it, or we keep our rural setting and must leave town to get what we want.

But there is something that small business gives us that the major chain cannot. It is bonding and networking that comes from people who patronize them. And the intimacy of knowing the people who own and run them.

When one goes to a local business, they are more likely to run into people they know within the community that they may not work or socialize with. This allows them to talk and catch up on things like their family and community. Someone may be able to find help with a task that needs doing. We might have an event that we want someone to know is coming up.

When the local, small business goes away this element of community goes with it. Sure, we may meet in the big business setting but not as much.

Also, knowing the owner of a business helps us to want to help them succeed. Especially if they give us a good product with good service. We know that they are not only helping us but we them. We build a bridge of trust that transcends what big business could bring.

The small business has and will be around. But the generational small business is all but dead. Big business is the reason for it.

Another case of not better or worse just different.

Maybe it is time to go retro and bring back the small business. Maybe it will help strengthen our communities.