Who are Mom and Pop?
Who are Mom and Pop? They are almost exclusively small businesses or micro businesses, but people who say they are interested in Mom and Pop are not just talking about the size of a company.
Rather, they are speaking of the unique experience that comes from patronizing a family-owned and family-operated business. Who are Mom and Pop? They are a large part of
what gives a place its flavor.People are attracted to live in and visit areas like Knoxville, Tennessee because of the mountains and the rivers, but also they are attracted here because of the people who live and work here. Who are Mom and Pop in Knoxville? They are the friendly smile and Southern hospitality behind the counter that has been world-famous for over a century. For example, when you go into a Mom and Pop hardware store -- as apposed to entering a Lowe's or Home Depot -- you're often greeted by the individuals who own the business. They know where everything in the store is, and the store size is probably less than 10 thousand square feet. In less-populated areas, and within older suburbs of large metropolitan areas, Mom and Pop owners may well be second or third generation owners of a business. Such establishments could be a restaurant, a store, or a small newspaper, and local people look to these establishments as benchmarks or landmarks of their community.
Who are Mom and Pop? They are nothing short of
David vs. Goliath...but without the slingshot.Mom and Pop businesses are a disappearing breed. Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Ruby Tuesday's, McDonald's, Walgreen's and countless other ubiquitous chain store corporations in every corner of business threaten to wipe out the idea of offering a unique business experience.
People who shop at Mom and Pop stores thus often say they are voting with their dollars. They shop at the Spiceorium for their spices and tea instead of Krogers. Not just because Spiceorium has better, fresher spices, and probably not for better prices, but because the owners of the Spiceorium smile at you because they want to. And they greet you with their own genuine greeting. They don't get paid (very little) to stand by the door in a little bue vest, smile wanly and say, 'welcome to Wally-World.' They share what's unique about them as individuals, and that makes the interaction more human. It makes it more community-minded, more "We're all in this together, and by the way, it's nice to meet you." Don't get me wrong. Mom and Pop are not just "let's all hold hands and sing kum-ba-ya." Rather, Mom and Pop say: "I live and work here." Or, "my family has been here for generations. My business reflects my community, and we welcome you. Here we are, in all our genuine, not-so-perfect-down-every-isle, warts-and-all glory!" Wal-mart, McDonalds, and all the rest decided we don't want that unique experience in our life. They think the phrase "variety is the spice of life" refers to offering the McRib with a special sauce every other year. If we don't each take time to appreciate the answer to the question, who are Mom and Pop? We'll all be the lesser for it.
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