By Leslie Brown
Is the small merchant becoming a thing of the past or is there a place for the mom-and-pop stores in this era of mass merchants and discount chain stores? The answer lies within our own neighborhoods. The residents of our local communities can keep their shopping local and the neighborhood merchants can fight for their customers. And this is what it has come down to.
There is a generation of people unfamiliar with knowing and frequenting their own neighborhood shops. Growing up in a family that owned a small children’s boutique, I found it to be second nature that everyone likes and knows how great small shops can be. Surprisingly this is not the case.
Not too long ago two young mothers pushing strollers came into what has become my own children’s store, oohing and ahhing about our unique merchandise. I overheard one say to the other, “I have never been in a store or on a street like this before.”
“I know what you mean,” the other said. “I really have only shopped at the mall.” She was referring to Austin Street in Forest Hills.
There is a certain satisfaction in purchasing an item from a small store. Perhaps it is the uniqueness of that special something that is just what you were looking for. Maybe it’s that a helpful and knowledgeable salesperson greeted you and asked if you needed assistance, pointing out the information that helps you make the right choice.
This experience is not like sifting through merchandise crammed on a rack or like entering an area in a large store looking for something specific with no one to guide you toward the right merchandise.
What about shopping in a store that knows your taste and carries items you can rely on to be in stock? Many small specialty stores will call to let you know about particular merchandise, will special order items and will guide you in matters of size and fit.
Small stores usually have a free gift-wrap service. This means no searching through acres of selling floor looking for the gift-wrap counter and then waiting in line only to have to pay for the service. Of course, that is if the store even offers a gift-wrapping service.
In our daily hustle and bustle, often grabbing a meal on the run can be just as costly as eating in a local neighborhood restaurant that features good home-style cooking. When you get to know what your neighborhood restaurants’ daily specials are, you’d be surprised how a fast-food restaurant seems more like fast and less like food.
Luckily my own neighborhood of Forest Hills, but specifically Austin Street and Continental Avenue, still caters to shoppers. Local merchants have adopted the slogan “Large Enough to Serve You and Small Enough to Know You.” I am happy to report that specialty stores are opening up and old favorites are still there.
Forest Hills was without a specialty butcher shop for several years. Now the same butcher that left is back on the street and selling prime meats, cold cuts and gourmet items. You’ll find the staff chatting with customers, calling them by name and even knowing what they want for dinner. You will find the very same thing at Forest Hills’ specialty cheese store or around the corner at the French bakery.
Recently I was at one of Austin Street’s many hair salons. It felt so good to just sit back and relax, taking in the pulse of the salon. By this I mean women greeting each other by name and sipping coffee, hair stylists displaying their family photos at their stations and where everyone just seems glad that you are a small part of their working family.
I have been president of the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce for the last few years. The community is still one that prides itself on a more personal style of doing business with customers. I recently developed the Web site www.shopforesthills.com for our community, as maintaining the wonderful neighborhood shops that Forest Hills has is key to our neighborhood’s success.
But bringing the small store into the 21st century is important as well. I think of www.shopforesthills.com as our town online. People in our community and far away can see what we are about and what we have to offer. This Web site is also a way of keeping the small-community spirit alive by reaching far more people than is possible without today’s technology.
Again it’s back to our phrase, “Large Enough to Serve You and Small Enough to Know You.” And that’s what Forest Hills merchants aim for.
My own small children’s business, Kidlines Ltd., has been thriving on Austin Street for more than 30 years, with the second generation at the helm — me. I have just sold my store to a young mother of three beautiful children. It is her turn to follow her dream of owning her own business, which she has renamed “Thank Heaven,” keeping alive the Austin Street tradition of a fine specialty store.
I will follow my dream of running an Internet business in Forest Hills, selling educational and unusual children’s toys at www.kidlines.com and working for the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce, promoting our community.
I hope everyone will come to Forest Hills May 23 for the Forest Hills Festival of the Arts, which I founded in 2000. Our local merchants will be out, as will artisans from the tri-state area, specialty food vendors and fabulous entertainment. The entertainment runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
There will be children’s theater starting at 11 a.m., followed by wonderful children’s musical performances and shows until after lunch. Then the festival starts to really swing with the big band sounds of George Gee and many other top-notch performances throughout the day. Please join us and see what Forest Hills is all about at the Forest Hills Festival of the Arts.
The flavors, experiences, stores and the connections with people who live and work in your neighborhood are all there for you if you seek them out, especially here in Forest Hills. Remember to keep your neighborhood alive and shop locally.
This series is provided by the Queens Economic Development Corp.
