Small Buisinesses in Need of Aid in Light of Insubstantial Mall Culture

By Pablo Baeza

When the Bean Bag shut its doors at the beginning of April, it was the end of an era. The era of decent cups of coffee for $1.75. The end of chocolate chip cookies that actually tasted like they were baked in the vicinity, as opposed to shipped across the country after being assembled by a machine in Seattle. But it also signaled the end of community, as the convenient little coffee shop that had been around for years gave way to corporate giant Chipotle.


In today’s modern economic climate, small businesses are among the hardest-hit victims. Because independent businesses lack the financial resources and brand recognition that stabilize chains, they are increasingly unable to compete in the marketplace. Most chain businesses have enough money to be able to take a drop in profits. They operate on a larger scale, for longer. Independent businesses, on the other hand, must make their profit off a single location, or a few locations, and generally must make enough revenue from those few locations to compete against the larger chains.

Communities need independent businesses to truly thrive. Places like the Bean Bag give the community anchors truly unique places for them to meet. At the Bean Bag, the daily ritual of getting that $1.75 cup of coffee went beyond a consumer habit: employees knew customer’s names, and it was not unusual to see an employee know a customer’s usual order.

Also, small businesses are able to bring more specialized or better crafted products to the community. The Bean Bag is one example, with cookies actually baked by the café as opposed to supplied. Another example is Joe’s Record Paradise in Rockville, one of the few remaining independent record stores in the area. Joe’s has an extensive collection of vinyl records and obscure CDs that major electronics chains simply aren’t able to provide.

For new independent business owners, the current economic climate does provide some great opportunities. Rents on retail properties have lowered due to the overabundance of businesses in a financial state that simply does not support them. Therefore, it is now slightly easier for independent businesses to get started, as opposed to confronting rents that only well-established chains could afford to pay.

Chains have an easy-to-find convenience that ensures you’ll get the same generally decent product anytime, anywhere knowing that a Starbucks is nearby has its merits. But you can find Starbucks anywhere, to the point that the company is closing down locations because it is losing money on having so many locations, that the quality of the product is becoming poorer and less personalized, and people are losing interest in Starbucks; it is no longer unique, it’s just the same old coffee you can find anywhere. With independent businesses such as the Bean Bag, not only is a difference in product offered, but also a unique window into a community. And we can’t afford to lose that.

Speedy Future Calls For Faster Food: Chain Restaurants on the Rise

By Joanie Jockel

The typical shopping experience of a high school kid includes a trip to the mall to patronize an American Eaglesesque clothing store, a stop by the Apple Store to satisfy all their technological needs, topped off by lunch at Panda Express. These stores, and other big businesses like them, are favorites among high school students all over the country. Their appeal lies in the fact that they meet the most important criteria of the adolescent customer: they’re cheap and easy.

Everyone can agree that independent businesses tend to offer quainter more personalized environments. However, while they can be fun to shop at on occasion, they are completely impractical for the everyday budget and lifestyle of high schoolers.

Most of my friends and I tend to fall into a very specific demographic of consumer, the perpetually broke teenager. Recently, the intense financial turmoil has made this sad station in life even more pathetic. With the current economy the way it is, the average teenager’s favorite supplemental income, aka free hand outs from mom and dad, have all but vanished.

Those of us who do have jobs work our butts off to make extra cash. When paycheck time rolls around it is all about stretching each dollar as far it’ll go. When frugality is such a must, the cheapness of public corporations makes them a favorable alternative to more pricy independent establishments. With the status of my bank account, choosing Forever 21, Target and Subway just makes sense.

Aside from being more economical, chain stores have the advantage of the two c’s, comfort and convenience. When I shop at a chain store I’m not only familiar with its hours, locations, and policies, I also know exactly what to expect when I walk in the door. I know where to find things, what the service is going to be like and what kind of selection they are going to have.

And when it comes to selection, I think it’s fair to say big companies excel. While small business can offer greater specificity and quality, chain stores tend to provide a wider assortment. And this doesn’t just apply to what’s on the floor or in the backroom. At a chain store I have the luxury of knowing that if they’re out of the size or color of a product I want it can be order and shipped to me from another branch.

Of course the argument can be made that independently owned shops are good for the community. To some extent this is true, it’s the tiny little boutiques and family owned restaurants that help to give towns there own unique flavor. I would never suggest that there is no place for such small businesses nor am saying that there are absolutely no inexpensive and easily accessible independent stores.