By Bill Godwin
One frequently hears the complaint that Los Alamos has too little retail choice – too few stores, too limited an inventory in the few stores we have, and too high prices. The unspoken assumption behind these complaints is that this is the fault of the retailers themselves, or perhaps of the county government. In fact, it is no one’s fault but our own.
It’s not rocket science – it is basic economics. Retail can only survive if there are enough customers and enough sales to cover the costs and pay the bills. Stores can only carry more inventory if there are enough sales to support that much inventory. Prices can only be lower if sales volume is high enough to amortize the business costs over more sales. It is that simple. Statewide, about 44 cents of every dollar spent stays in the community. In our community, only about 11 cents of every dollar spent stays on the Hill. No wonder retail has such a hard time here.
If we want locally-owned businesses like The Coffee Booth, The Blue Window, The Hill Diner, the Reel Deal theater and Finishing Touch to stay around, we need to patronize them. If we want CB Fox to survive, we need to buy clothes and furniture from them instead of from someplace in Espanola or Santa Fe. If we want Otowi Books to stay in business, we need to buy our books from them instead of from Amazon.com or Borders in Santa Fe. If we want Metzger’s Hardware to stay in business, we need to look there first for our hardware needs, instead of going directly to Home Depot or Lowes in Espanola.
Yes, buying locally may sometimes cost a bit more than buying online or from a big box store in Santa Fe. That is the cost of keeping a retail presence in Los Alamos. That is the price of helping your friends and neighbors stay in business in this small town. That is the price of supporting your community.
The LACDC and Chamber, as part of the CommunityMatters initiative, is promoting a consciousness raising effort called the 3/50 Project. The idea is to support our local economy … at least three businesses at a time. The 3/50 name suggests spending $50 a month with each of the three businesses to support them and help to sustain them. Making a conscious effort to support local businesses can pay significant dividends for our community’s economy as well. In our community, $50 in expenditures by 50% of the people who work in our community results in $450,000 in revenues, a very significant number. Go to www.fyiLA.com to learn more about this project … and enter the Chamber drawing for three 50’s while you are there.
If price is all that matters, then by all means burn the gas to go to Santa Fe, but then don’t complain that there isn’t enough retail in Los Alamos. If on the other hand you really care about retail business in Los Alamos, go spend $50 this month at your three favorite Los Alamos stores or businesses. Then you will be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
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Sunday, January 24, 2010
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1 comments:
Assumptions hurt local businesses
I certainly appreciate Mr. Godwin's words in support of local businesses. But, I also find a few assumptions in his writing that are shared by many in the community that have bothered me for a long time; assumptions that we are constantly trying to fight just to get folks in the door. For example, as he mentions, the stores in Los Alamos do have to deal with higher costs. Employees are paid more than their counterparts in Santa Fe and rent is higher. (I know this for a fact because I know business owners in Santa Fe and have discussed costs with them.) But, we are not necessarily more expensive. I have had people walk in my store and then tell me that we cost less than Santa Fe and Albuquerque and they are sorry that they've been driving down there for the last few years because they assumed we cost more. We don't.
Next, on the inventory issue- if you compare our inventory to any independent pet supplies store, you will find we carry more of a selection than most similar stores in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. I go to the box stores in Santa Fe to compare and discover that we often have more on hand in reptile lighting, for example, than they do.
Local business owners just have to be creative to survive in the tougher economic climate here. We do have higher costs, so we just have to be smarter about our operations in order to make it. We carry inventory that works, by asking our customers what they want, and we are careful to control loss. The truly hardy survive.
Our store is open 7 days a week and we have better normal hours than our counterparts in places like Santa Fe. In fact, we answer the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, just in case you have a pet supply emergency. I challenge you to find a similar store in Santa Fe or Albuquerque that provides that service! We do it because we are a local store that loves the people and pets of this community.
In short, I ask the members of this community to please not assume that the local businesses have bad hours, surly employees, no choices in products, or high prices. If you actually visit, you may find the reality is completely different. Please visit us with unbiased eyes and talk to the owner should anything not be to your satisfaction. We are here for you.
Pet Pangaea is committed, not to being the best pet supplies store in Los Alamos, but to being the best pet supplies store in the state. Heck, the nation. And, we are right here in your backyard.
Thank you,
Cyndi Wells
Owner
Pet Pangaea LLC
http://www.petpangaea.com
A locally owned and operated retail store in Los Alamos
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