Area small businesses are staying tough
Susan Barbour answered the phone of The Dancers Drawer Tuesday morning as she always does, with a singsongy welcome. The person on the other end wasn’t a customer. They didn’t even live in town. But they needed help. And somehow they knew Barbour would answer, as she always does.
The caller had a problem: The pointe shoes they ordered from an online retailer were missing the classic pink, satin ribbons that complete a ballerina’s head to-toe look. Did Barbour have any advice?
After more than 20 years on the retail side of the dance industry, she did. She suggested the caller check with their dance studio to see if any of the other moms had picked up the practice of attaching the ribbon after years of last-minute dance costume adjustments. If not, she offered the names of a few North Attleboro tailors skilled in the detailed footwear.
A few minutes later another customer slipped into her North Washington Street shop with the items they needed ready in mind.
“The first sale of the year,” Barbour told them, cheerfully. “Thank you for thinking of us.”
By her upbeat demeanor, it would be hard to guess Barbour’s shop has had a rough year. She is excited by dance and loves what she does – moved by the ability to share in the experience of helping someone pick out their first pair of pointe shoes, or the sparkly joy in their eyes reflecting the moment they see an equally sparkly tutu for the first time. Her customers become family.
That sentiment rings true for many small businesses, who graduate from simply another retailer to neighbors and mainstays of a community.
When customers call or stop in to visit, they meet a familiar face and find live customer service focused on helping them find the right fit for their needs. Small businesses invest in their towns and link up with one another for support.
But it’s no question many of those local businesses were hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns that marked 2020 and the economic recession that soon followed.
Nationwide, a team of Harvard University and Brown University economists estimate nearly 29% of small businesses have folded since January of last year, before the pandemic took hold of the country. Even those who managed to hang on are hurting. Revenue for small businesses has dipped by 32%.
Massachusetts’ numbers are higher, with a 36% decrease in the number of open small businesses across the state and a 46% loss in small business revenue.
Barbour has felt that impact.
Three of her nearby competitors shut their doors this year – and there aren’t many dance shops around to begin with.
Over the holiday season she estimates the shop saw only about one-fourth of its typical sales. On one of her biggest discount days, she only served two customers.
She had to downsize staff and take advantage of small business loans to get by.
It was disappointing, but while Barbour describes herself as a realist, she is a more fervent optimist.
“You shake that off,” she said. “You have to think positive. It’s the only way to get through.”
Her shop is open, fully stocked and not going anywhere.
“I’m in it for the fight,” she said.
And Barbour is ready to serve the dance community as she always does, with her sing-songy welcome – even for those like Tuesday’s caller, just looking for advice.
Other small retailers in the area agree: After a tough year for small businesses, they are heading into 2021 with high spirits and confidence that they will survive.
Some hanging on
In Attleboro, Bob Ryan of Ryan & Sons Gob Shop is just hanging on.
This year was the worst holiday season in the 70 years since his father opened the downtown sporting goods shop, Ryan said, with sales not even half of what they typically are.
“And it seems like it’s going to stay that way,” he said.
Ryan said the shop is surviving on its unique ability to process embroidery orders and commissions from large companies that equate to 20 or 30 sales at a time.
Still, it’s not easy. Ryan is the only employee left, and he hasn’t taken a paycheck from the business in months, just trying to break even. He’s condensed his inventory as much as he can. He never sees customers downtown anymore and he loses interest in what used to be an exciting venture.
“It hasn’t been any fun anymore,” he said. “We keep saying, we’ll sell it in a second if anybody is interested.”
On Tuesday, a burst of customers was a sudden change, but the afternoon was quiet and Wednesday provided the same monotony as the last few months.
“We keep trying,” Ryan said. “Little things here and there help us out.”