This Is Why We Need Small Business

I recently had the pleasure of popping into a new men's clothing boutique in the Chelsea neighborhood of NYC, much to my delight.

"letter J"

I was lured in by a friend (influencer marketing in action) and from the moment I entered I knew the store was speaking to me.

Now admittedly I am a clothes horse, but I know what I like and I like a lot of it.  It's my "thing."

The selection felt hand-picked for me, so I didn't even know where to start.  In fact I found myself having to segment what I picked up ... "I'll come back for swim wear; I don't feel like trying on pants."  After about a half hour, I walked out with the coolest light blue camo shirt and a perfectly fitted pair of sweat-shorts.  Perfect.  I walked over to the Rocking Horse for a margarita (two actually) with a friend and felt satisfied with the perfect Manhattan after-work night.

Someone else at the bar recognized my shopping bag and asked how I liked it (community marketing in action).

On the way home, though, it struck me.

This is why we need small business.

The owner (Jason) was there, helping me all along the way.  Suggested items to try and then gave me previews of items coming soon.  Once he saw a sense of my taste, he knew better what to show me.  It became very clear to me that this is his trade.  His trade.

This is why we need small business.

Small business owners are close to their customers and they create experiences for them.  They know what their customers want and they know how to give it to them.  And we feel special in the process.

As a customer, I just don't get that from big business.  Trust me I do my fair share of trade in those establishments too, but I don't tend to buy clothing.  It's just not personal enough for me.

This is why we need small business.

Small business, like "letter J", keeps the city alive with a unique NYC personal touch.  There's no "letter J" anywhere else in the world, and it's uniquely NYC.  Uniquely built for the customers who will frequent it.

This is why we need small business.

What's your experience?  JIM.