24th May 2010 | Books Nav
The Mom & Pop Store is a celebration of the history of small, independent retail and the story of how these small, independent shops thrive on attentive customer service and community support for local businesses.
I grew up working in my family's butcher shop in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, where I learned invaluable lessons about the independent retail business and about life. Morn & pop stores have always brought people together, fostering a sense of neighborhood identity and camaraderie, and are the glue that connects people in big cities and small towns alike.
I’ve long been fascinated by the "direct connection" people feel as merchants and customers when they do business in neighborhood shops. With the backdrop of the growing "buy local" movement across the country, I set out to discover the state, and the state of mind, of independent retailing in America. From a specialty soda pop shop in Los Angeles to a florist shop in Dayton, Ohio, from a bakery in Chicago to a bookstore in Bellingham, Washington, mom & pop store owners shared their stories with me, revealing the spirit and tenacity of the small business owner, dealing with frustration and defeat as well as triumph and success.
The book also interweaves the history of independent retailing.
The Mom & Pop Store reflects the story of this country, for it embraces and cross-references every ethnic group and virtually every element of our society.
This book is available at your local bookstore and your favorite online retailer.
Reviews:
Growing up in his family’s mom-and-pop store, business journalist Robert Spector defines such stores as small, independent traders. Including an overview of independent retailing in America, he focuses primarily on the state and state of mind of the independent small-business owner and that owner’s spirit and tenacity, frustration and defeat, triumph and success.
Interviewing owners of mom-and-pop stores from coast to coast, the author learns that anything is possible if you keep working at it, and the seven qualities that they all share include independence, belief they are doing something special, and the ability to adapt to change.
A small business is a neighborhood entity with significant community value, and if our local mom-and-pop store has what we need, Spector recommends we give them our business even if their prices are slightly higher. This excellent book is about real America since 90 percent of all U.S. businesses are family owned or controlled, and though some are large, mostly they are mom and pops.
-- Mary Whaley
"There's a great deal of good journalism in Spector's book, and it affirms what I've long believed: that this kind of small, family business is integral to the American experience." - Gay Talese
"A warm and personal look at the entry point of American emigrant entrepreneurship. The Mom and Pop Store is part Studs Terkel, part Bill Bryson, as Spector mixes family history with his vast knowledge of retail."
- Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping
"These personal accounts and reminiscences of tenacity, pluck, resourcefulness and integrity, peppered with a few shakes of history, could forever change your interactions with local businesses."
- Jennifer Rockne, director, American Independent Business Alliance (AMIBA)
"Every business lesson my dad ever taught me was built around the idea of treasuring every single customer. The resourceful entrepreneurs you'll meet in this captivating book live by that simple but powerful idea."
- Bruce Nordstrom, chairman emeritus, Nordstrom, Inc.
"We need more mom and we need more pop. Do you want to know why? Because they care. Caring matters. If you need proof, Robert Spector has it."
- Seth Godin, author of Tribes
"Spector is tapping into the powerful movement of localism. At its center - along with our Main Streets - are small, independent shops that are reinventing our connection to community. The Mom & Pop Store is an inspiration for would-be entrepreneurs and civic leaders alike."
- Doug Loescher, director, National Trust Main Street Center