"Like many women, I like to shop, and when I travel, I search for items I can't find here at home. But a few years ago, I noticed that was becoming more difficult to do. That's because shopping all across the United States has become very homogenized with cookie-cutter malls, big box retailers and sprawling outlet malls.
The other thing I've noticed is that service is pretty much the same everywhere. In most national chain retail stores, there are barely enough employees to man the cash register, and there's no one around to assist shoppers. Maybe some national retailers have forgotten the customer, but that's not the case with local businesses. In Lexington, many are thriving, and they say good customer service is one reason why.
Take Curry Shoes on Southland Drive. If you grew up in Lexington, you probably are familiar with this store, which has been around since 1948. It's the home of the Talking Tree and the place where generations of children have been fitted with the right size shoes. Howard Curry Shoes (there really was a Howard Curry, Sr. and Jr.) started in downtown Lexington and moved to Southland Drive in 1958. Today, it is the last original store in the shopping center. Others have come and gone, but Curry Shoes has survived.
"Our reputation brings people here," Robert Burton, the manager, said. "I can't go anywhere without someone asking if we still have the Talking Tree."
Burton said the fact that he and the staff "still know how to fit shoes" also is a differentiating factor in this world of self-serve shopping. Another niche is fitting prescription corrective shoes.
The store is now serving second- and third-generation customers, which Burton calls "generational loyalty."
That's something Tommy Hicks, owner of Sonny's Cleaners in Chevy Chase, knows about as well. His father started the business 45 years ago. Now Tommy and his entire family work there.
He said many of his customers have been bringing their clothes to this neighborhood location for years, but Hicks also said he has new customers every week. Most are from Chevy Chase, Hartland or other neighborhoods in the area.
Hicks attributes the success of the business to three things: location, open parking and customer service.
"We care about the quality of work," he said. "My wife has a good relationship with our customers, and the two of us make sure everything that goes out of here is done right. We hear from new customers this attention to detail might not be the case with other cleaners."
Even though the picture might be rosy for these two Lexington businesses, small retailers do face some obstacles — mainly, trying to compete on price, advertising and selection. Research by the Census Department in 1999 showed there were more than 730,000 retail companies in the U.S. More than 90 percent were considered small, meaning they employed fewer than 100 people.
Finding and keeping those employees is a problem plaguing all retailers. But Lisa Hendricks, owner of Boutique Milan in Hamburg Pavilion, credits good employees as one reason her store was successful from the beginning.
"We were blessed with good people when we opened," she said. "Many of them were my friends.
"So much of the shopping experience is not just about the clothing. It's about having someone to help you and building relationships. People sometimes feel overwhelmed in department stores. Our staff helps make shopping personal."
Tucked in the middle of national chains and big box retailers, Boutique Milan has carved out a niche that seems to be working. The store just celebrated its three-year anniversary. Hendricks said she opened the store out of a need to find clothes for herself.
"When I moved here in 1998, I couldn't find clothes that I liked, so I kept going back to Nashville to shop," Hendricks said. "My husband thought if I was having that much trouble finding clothes then a lot of other women probably were, too. So we decided to open our own store."
Her customers couldn't be more pleased that she did. Tricia Shackelford, an attorney at Woodward, Hobson and Fulton, said she shops at Boutique Milan for several reasons.
"The staff know me and know what I like," she said. "The clothes are beautiful and unique, unlike chain stores, and prices are great."
Hendricks said some may think her merchandise is more costly than the national retailers, but she said people are pleasantly surprised to find her merchandise is competitively priced.
But Tommy Hicks, the owner of Sonny's Cleaners, said pricing sometimes can be a challenge because larger chains have better buying power.
All three of the local retailers I spoke with said they don't do a lot of advertising because it is very costly. They all said word-of-mouth has been very effective and they generate that by providing good service and getting involved in the community.
So the next time you're looking for a good shopping experience, whether here at home or on vacation, think locally. Supporting small business is good for our economy, and you just might find something unique, like good customer service."