small business Archive

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Be loyal, buy local

“Buy Local” campaigns are common, especially around the holidays, and on the increase.  Often organized by chambers of commerce, the idea is to convince consumers to spend their money in their hometowns, versus leaving town to shop at big box retailers.

According to an Institute for Local Self-Reliance survey, independent businesses in cities with an active “buy local” campaign fared better than those in cities without a push for local-ism.

The survey gathered data from 2,768 independent service providers, restaurants and retailers, finding that those in places with a “buy local” initiative reported revenue growth of 5.6 percent on average in 2010, compared to 2.1 percent for those without.

Among independent retailers, there was a similar gap in holiday sales performance, with those in “buy local” communities seeing a 5.2 percent increase in holiday sales, while those elsewhere reported an average gain of 0.8 percent.

“Buy Local” campaigns also benefit local grocers. And research at the Center for Rural Affairs (www.cfra.org) demonstrates that helping rural communities retain their local grocery is crucial. Grocery stores provide vital sources of nutrition, jobs, tax revenue and other intangibles that support the community.

They are, however, slowly disappearing.  At least 803 counties in the U.S. are classified as “food deserts” where half the population of the county lives 10 or more miles from a full service grocery, forcing residents to leave their communities to purchase food.

The T-shirts and bumper stickers that tell us to “think globally, act locally” offer sound advice, especially in rural America

(Guest editorial by John Crabtree, Center for Rural Affairs. He can be reached at johnc@cfra.org.)

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Business: Buffet going forward with old-fashioned service

February 2010 will mark seven years that Albany’s Old Times Country Buffet on Dawson Road has been serving up down home vittles. It is one of eight eateries owned by Valdosta Restaurateur, Pat O’Neal, and according to Old Times Manager, B.J. Fletcher, one of the best, showing a 12 percent growth in business over last year.

Fletcher says that one key factor in the restaurant’s good standing is the “free reign” approach that O’Neal takes.

“Pat let’s each manager take control over their operations, understanding that every location and the community it serves, is different”, said Fletcher. “What works in Valdosta, may not work in Albany.” Fletcher, a native of Valdosta herself, has known O’Neal for thirty-five years, adding, “He is just a great guy to work for.”

When she first arrived in Albany, the location of Old Times in the Village Green Shopping Center was a problem. “Nobody knew we were here”, Fletcher said.

There were other buffets in the area, and Fletcher realized that to compete, she would have to set a course of action and stick to it. “I knew that the prices others were asking, for what they offered was high, so right away we got busy putting a menu together that a lot of people liked, that we could offer at a much better price.” It worked. In a few years her nearest competitor, Barnhill’s, had to close the doors. Others lowered their prices.

There are more than 500 licensed restaurants in the Albany area. Fletcher says that to be successful, you have to decide who your customer is, know what they want, and deliver that everyday. The success of Old Times is a simple formula of good food, good prices, and the “kitchen-table effect”, as she calls it. By that, she means the way her staff not only greets their customers, but in the little things like having the televisions on the local news, developing relationships with area churches by providing them opportunities to get their message and service hours on napkin holders, and making sure that the overall atmosphere is welcoming and relaxing.

“We made the decision to target our menu, our prices, and our attitude, to seniors”, said Fletcher. “We make it a point to get to know all of our regular customers. It’s a real family relationship. We’re glad to see them, and they are glad to see us.” Fletcher recalls one elderly gentleman a few years back, who had lost his wife. “We were all so worried about him”, she said. “We knew he was depressed and having a hard time.” One day, he sought her out as he was leaving, to thank her for the sincere kindness that he felt from everyone there saying, “I’m happy. There are some good folks in Albany.”

Old Times has a staff of 46. “I still have 90 percent of the people I started with seven years ago”, said Fletcher. These folks are effective ambassadors for Albany, drawing regular customers from Cordele, Cuthbert, and Randolph County, according to Fletcher. Two years ago Old Times secured the cafeteria contract at Miller Brewing. That operation, run by partner/manager, Sara Gay Edmonds, employs nine people. But according to Fletcher, they are not done yet in Albany, saying, “We are ready to go downtown.”

The plans have been on their side of the kitchen table for a while now, but Fletcher says that getting some serious cooperation from downtown property owners and the city has been difficult. “We have been shown property that the asking rent was in the high thousands per month, plus they wanted a percentage of our sales!”, exclaimed Fletcher. “If you are going to get part of our sales, get in the back and peel some potatoes!” She extended a challenge to the downtown powers that be, saying if they would offer a realistic rent, taking into account local economic factors, and the high degree of vacancies downtown, Old Times Country Buffet stands ready to open a Downtown Albany location. She would like very much to have something in place and operating by the first of the year.

Fletcher says that like so may others; she was upset, but not surprised, then motivated, by recent reports listing Albany as one of the ten poorest places to live in the nation. “All of us have to do something to change that.” She believes that the success of Old Times Country Buffet, and their plans for future growth, can be a positive force in the community.

Regardless of how successful Old Times Country Buffet gets in the future, Fletcher is determined to maintain the closeness they have developed with their customers. “It’s not only good for business, but more important; it’s just about treating people like you would want to be treated.”

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Pieces of the good old days

Invariably, when you get in a conversation about Albany with someone that grew up here, someone is bound to start a sentence with; “I remember when …” That was part of Ron Westbrook’s thinking when he opened up Good Old Days Antiques about four months ago.

Located at 202 W. Broad Ave. in the old Owens Sporting Goods location, the store is packed with interesting and eclectic items of all sorts. It is a literal trip down memory lane. Westbrook is no exception to the rule, saying, “I remember as a kid coming downtown and just making a day of it.”

This new venture is his way of recapturing some of that old magic, and making a concerted effort to bring life back into downtown Albany.

He admits it has been a slow start, but Westbrook says business is growing, and he fully expects to see foot traffic continue to build. Walking the rows of antique furniture, pictures and paintings, record albums, books, lamps, glassware, figurines, and all sorts of things, offers a chance to search out something you thought you’d lost forever: the past.

There is a story behind everything you come across, and Westbrook’s about how he came to be running an antique store is one for the telling, as well.

“It’s pretty much my wife’s fault,” Westbrook jokingly explained, “he’d go antiquing, and I’d just tag along.”

To make it interesting, he started looking for specific things. “First, it was pictures of bird dogs, then I started looking for mule drawn farm equipment” — both, things of his past. Before too long, Westbrook had quite a collection of stuff. The thousands of record albums upstairs at Good Old Days are his. “Yeah, she was all for me doing something with them,” said Westbrook.

But he was not always a collector of memories. He started his career as an accountant, then moved into real estate, which he still works in. He then opened up East Creek Outfitters, a hunting supply store. The name was a play on his own. Westbrook, East Creek — get it?

But the name Good Old Days Antiques, Westbrook does not take credit for. You might say he got it from “scratch”. More precisely, Shonda Escalante, the mascot “Scratch” for the now=defunct South Georgia Wildcats arena football team, was in the store as he was just getting started. When she heard Westbrook’s stories and fond memories of growing up here, she suggested it, and he liked it. “I joined her pep club,” he said.

IMG_2973[1]Westbrook rents his shop from developer Peter Studl. One day Studl stopped in with a very unique, very heavy, bronze chair, with the styling of a giraffe. It has once been in Studl’s downtown eatery, Hubble’s. The chair was such an attention-getter that Westbrook had it sitting outside at the front door, along with some other items.

One afternoon, Westbrook pulled up and the chair was gone. He called the police. Someone had carried off his giraffe chair, which was no easy trick. The local media even showed up to do a story on the theft, when they saw the police report. Westbrook called Studl to break the sad news. He then learned that Good Old Days downtown neighbor, architect David Maschke, had the chair. Studl had come by, seen the chair outside, and put it in Maschke’s place for safekeeping.

Camilla is home for Westbrook, and he has East Creek locations in Seminole County and in Gadston County, Fla. Now with the business in Albany, Westbrook is always moving, but he seems to enjoy it. Working the front counter is Geraldine Brickhouse, and Westbrook says he could not do this without her.

There’s a good chance that you may not be sure what you are looking for when you arrive at Good Old Days Antiques, but you will know it when you see it.

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Welcome “Back”, Carter

Albany native and commercial real estate agent Mary Carter has come home, although technically she never left. Carter recently joined the local team at Murray Webb and Associates. Before this “move” she was with Athens-based Thomas Crane Realty.

Carter worked for Crane from her home here, and was focused on retail development in the Albany area and other areas of the state. Now all of her energy is targeted on the positive aspects of her hometown, which Carter says remain a high value to prospective businesses and developers from across the region. Carter is very aware of the harsh realities of the current economic downturn nationally and locally; as she sees it, difficult times create opportunities that would not normally present themselves. Even though the slowdown has delayed many “big box” retailers from expanding, Carter says the growth in small, locally owned businesses has a lot of potential right now.

“There are local folks recently laid off, like at Cooper Tire and such, that want to stay here. They have roots here, and they are looking to start up their own businesses.” said Carter. “Albany has the storefronts available right now to fill that need.”

She sees her job as finding the right match of property and business.

“I love what I do,” she said.

Carter predicts that Albany not only will survive this slump, but will come out of it in a stronger regional position.

“Property owners and developers understand that Albany is where the vast majority of shoppers still shop,” she said.

A 2006 study showed that the city gets an average of 400,000 customers annually. That is a figure that easily grabs the attention of retail outlets and local businesses, looking to open up or expand existing businesses. Carter believes the perception that nothing is happening in the local business and retail economy is just wrong, saying, “I’m very busy”.

Carter has built a solid reputation over the years as a proactive, positive force in real estate. Starting in residential sales in 1984, she says it has been a career that she has loved from the beginning. “It’s all about building relationships, establishing trust, working hard, and doing everything you can to match the right location with the needs and budgets of the buyer”, said Carter.

In 1994, Carter made the switch to commercial real estate. Her personable style has been matched by her professional attention to the details, giving her even more opportunities to participate in some significant business developments. Through Crane Realty, she quickly found herself connected with big players in the big world of property development. One deal that stands out with her was with Mansour’s, working closely with owner Fred Mansour to develop and open an 80,000-square-foot location in Augusta.

Some of her first deals here centered on properties in northwest Albany. Her efforts activated the business area from Logan’s Roadhouse to Backyard Burgers, with that million dollar project taking about two years to complete. It’s hard work that requires patience and people skills, but the end result is obvious to the community; jobs. It’s clear that Carter is driven as much by her faith in God and the desire to do the right thing for the community as she is a paycheck.

Carter’s drive to bring business and opportunities for growth to Albany probably sprouts from her youth, growing up with memories of a vibrant, family friendly city. She reflected, “I remember just spending the whole day downtown with my friends, all the stores and things to see. It was wonderful.”

Today, like many others, she is concerned about the redevelopment of downtown Albany, but her concern has only motivated her to get involved and do what she can to bring economic viability to the city’s core. While Carter’s efforts are spread all over Albany and southwest Georgia, one of the most valuable areas for business growth she sees here is the property along Ledo Road and Nottingham Way.

“There is a lot of activity there”, said Carter. Walden Place, a retail strip of storefronts at the intersection, and just behind the retail store for AT&T, has its first tenant. Carter has worked with the developers to adjust the rental rates, bringing them more in line with the local economy, and thereby spurring business expansion in the complex.

Carter says new construction along U.S. Highway 19 North will also continue, with one developer paying more than $1 million for just over two acres there. She is also involved in the promising ”inland port” area in Cordele, just off Interstate 75 and Georgia Hwy. As this property grows in value, it will affect the entire region, as the capacity to receive goods arriving from Savannah and other areas increases, only adding to the total retail value of Southwest Georgia.


LonMcNeil 09Written by Lon McNeil. Mr. McNeil is an Albany independent marketing consultant. Find him online at AlbanyOnPoint.

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Small Biz Profile: Harden Tree Service

Darren Harden loves what he does for a living and when you get paid for doing what you love, then you know that you are in the right business. He learned a great deal about the business from his father, Alvin, and from removing the hundreds of trees from residential and commercial properties.

Harden has been in this business for over 30 years, since about 1970, so Darren knows what he is doing and what trees need to be removed before they start causing a property owner a lot of money. By that, I mean having the trees fall, especially pine trees, onto your home or other property and causing you a lot of grief. Damage like that can be very costly and much more than the cost of removing those troublesome trees that have weak spots and are about ready to topple over.

Harden suggests that you take a good look at the trees on your property, whether that be private property or commercial property, and don’t wait until the weak ones fall and cost you a lot of money.

It is important that you know that Harden and his crew, along with other “professionals” in the business, are fully insured which is very important to a homeowner before he lets anyone work on his property. Be sure to see evidence of this insurance so that if an accident occurs, you won’t end up digging into your pocket to pay for damages you never realized you could have. And check out the equipment that the tree removal personnel have to remove your trees. Harden has modern trucks with buckets to make the tree removal easier and safer. This not only protects his employees, but speeds up the removal of your trees and any reduction in work time will save you money.

An important part of Harden’s business is his partner and wife, Angela, who keeps him straight and makes sure that more money comes in than goes out. Her handling of the details allows Darren to concentrate on the outdoor work and the outdoors in general which he loves. Things like the insurance and other business details are what Angela likes so they make a very good team.

Besides spoiling their children, John, 9, and Emily, 10, Harden can be found weekends at the U. S. 19 South Speedway where he will be wearing the rubber off of his dragster’s tires. Darren and Angela have been married 13 years and are kept very busy with their business and weekend activities.

If you need someone analyze the condition of the trees on your property and to do a darn good job of removing any that need be, give Darren a call at 777-4554. Their business is located at 146 Reese Drive in Sylvester.

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