The Providence Journal writes about Carcieri's Market, a 6,400-square-foot independent Rhode Island grocery store: “At a time when high-volume, low-price chain stores dominate the American retail landscape, local shops such as Carcieri's can seem like an anachronism. But according to those who run these small businesses, it's that old-world feeling and attention to specific customer needs that allows stores like Carcieri's to survive the big-box competition and keep providing jobs to their employees.”
However, life isn’t going to get any easier for the owners – a 135,000 square foot Wal-Mart Supercenter is scheduled to open nearby. Owner Lara Amodei says she knows she has her work cut out for her. "Every time one of the major chains opens, in the beginning it draws away some of our business," she tells the paper. "It's curiosity. But, after a while, our customers come back. We're known for our meat department. We have people who come in all the way from Newport just for our meats. That's our niche."
However, life isn’t going to get any easier for the owners – a 135,000 square foot Wal-Mart Supercenter is scheduled to open nearby. Owner Lara Amodei says she knows she has her work cut out for her. "Every time one of the major chains opens, in the beginning it draws away some of our business," she tells the paper. "It's curiosity. But, after a while, our customers come back. We're known for our meat department. We have people who come in all the way from Newport just for our meats. That's our niche."
- KC's View:
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Good luck.
Our one observation is that the folks at Carcieri's Market can’t assume that people will come back. It has to go out and get them, over and over and over.
