![simple kneads](https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/32224_10150183366565038_268092065037_12716210_1225262_n.jpg)
An image from the Simle Kneads Facebook page.
Once in a while, a local news story catches your attention and resonates with you. Today was one of those days for me.
The story of Simple Kneads, a small Greensboro, NC bakery surfaced via Twitter, specifically this Tweet alerted me to the story, and I found myself drawn to the rapidly emerging story via social media much in the same way one realizes they are in the process of witnessing an auto accident seconds before the actual collision. I should say that I didn’t previously know of Simple Kneads, I know nothing about them personally, but I can totally relate to their plight. I am sympathetic.
The gist of the story is that after a decade in business, Simple Kneads recently (like within days) alerted their customers that “without a miracle” they would be forced to close their doors forever. The owner made mention of rent, and payroll, and the fact that he (or she) hadn’t been paid personally in a year.
The result was as predictable as the sun rising in the East: the collective masses (on social media) expressed shock and dismay, and rallied in an attempt to snatch Simple Kneads from the jaws of death. Also predictably, their last-minute attempts have apparently failed, according to the Triad Biz Journal. (Please don’t interpret my remarks to mean that I think the social media supporters were insincere – I don’t believe that for a minute.) Even though I didn’t know Simple Kneads, I mourn their passing. Because sadly they are harbinger for many small businesses around the nation.
So what went wrong? By all accounts they are nice people who made a great product. Why is it they failed?
My guess, and it’s really just that (but based on our own experience), is that they died a Death of a Thousand Little Antipathies. Actually, antipathy is probably too strong a word, as it implies strong aversions. More like a Death of a Thousand Little Apathies.
Customers are a funny thing. In no way do I “blame” them for the demise of any business – that is squarely on the shoulders of the business itself. But there is a category of customers who could help prevent these business failures if they chose to. Yet they always seem to be the ones to express shock and dismay instead of realizing that they had the power to keep the options they liked in their community.
One percent of customers are die hard supporters. They love you, they love all you do, and they go above and beyond, out of their way, to patronize your business and to be your personal friends. Every business loves and appreciates these customers, and in fact could not exist without them, because they provide something more important than money. They provide emotional support to keep going through tough times.
About half of customers are transitory, and make no apologies for it. They come and go on their own terms. They are in it for them. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Everyone knows the score. The business tries to please them as reasonably as possible, but there is no sense in going to extremes with these customers. Once the current transaction is done, you won’t see them again for months, or years, or ever. No emotional energy is expended by either party. And that’s fine. And when the business goes away, these customers don’t shed a tear. They just find an alternative for their occasional need.
It’s the remainder of the customers who have the opportunity. These are the customers who express their like for the business, who talk a good game, but in the crucial moments, they behave in ways contrary to the principle they espouse. They say they want independent businesses, but they buy big brands because they are on sale. Or convenient. Or whatever. It’s not that they intend to tip the scales one way or the other. They just honestly think that their individual behavior makes no difference in the scheme of things. Yeah, they want to buy bread from Simple Kneads, but they’re in the Harris Teeter, so they think “what the hell, I’ll just pick up bread here. I’ll get it from Simple Kneads next time.”
Except that after tomorrow, there won’t be a next time for Simple Kneads.
So think about your own behavior as a consumer. Are you one of the customers in the two extremes I mentioned? If so, you needn’t do anything. You’re either already supporting the outcome you care about, or your really don’t care much (and again, that really is fine).
But are you one of the customers who would be upset if one of your favorite businesses went away? Are you the type that’s inclined to start or participate in a social media campaign to save that business?
If so, I have good news for you. You don’t have to wait for the crisis. You can avert the crisis by simply being consistent in your patronage. Skip buying the thing that they sell from the big box store, and make it a point to buy from them regularly. And if you really like the business, why don’t you try bringing a friend each time you patronize them?
Be the change you want to see in the world.
Great post Jim! You raise a valid point that in order for a local business to survive it takes a commitment from the community.
My husband and I support 2 local bakeries (in addition to baking our own), one of which is Simple Kneads. Because we are small business owners we made it a point to purchase Simple Kneads from Bestway – our local grocery store.
The argument I have heard most often from people when it comes to supporting local is that it’s more expensive and they need to stretch their dollar as far as they can. Though I understand this, to me it seems like maybe they just don’t understand how important spending local impacts the long term survival of their community.
Each of us have a choice to support local when and where we can.
Thanks again for such a great post!
Thanks for your comment, Danielle. Hope to meet you one of these days.
Nice bit on WFMY! I’m glad to see one of the stations pick up the story.
It was unfortunate they were more interested on Friday in reporting on high school football, misrepresenting a story about bullying and showing that stupid babysitter with the kid in a stroller in a pickup truck over and over again.
Heading downtown to support BIn 33….
It’s no good at all that mainstream media picks up the story now. They’re just vultures at this point, not helpful at all.
Great article! I think to sum it up in a few words, it’s about customer loyalty and how a business fosters it.
One of the most shocking things I read yesterday was by a person who LIVES in downtown Greensboro and admitted they did not even know this business existed!
The saddest thing about this is the local TV news stations couldn’t be bothered with a 1 minute story letting people know what they could do to help. They were too busy with “Friday Night Football” and the “baby sitter with a kid in a stroller in the back of a pick-up” story.
BTW, I don’t believe it was the tweet you mentioned that broke the story; it was a FB post by 99Blocks Magazine: http://www.facebook.com/99blocks.
Your comment about local media is spot on. I no longer watch television, and I long ago canceled my newspaper subscription. That’s a local business I won’t miss when they succumb to new media.
I didn’t mean to suggest the tweet I linked STARTED the story. But it was the one that I saw that alerted ME to the story.
Thanks for commenting.
I came across your post via Danielle Hatfield and would like to offer a few thoughts. Martinez, CA (where I live) was founded during the gold rush era. Like many smallish towns we have a historic downtown populated with independent brick and mortars. We are also the county seat which means my downtown streets are usually bustling with jurors and county workers, Mon – Fri 9:00 – 5:00. Apart from this our downtown has been described as being so quiet you can roll a bowling ball down the middle of the street. Not quite, but there are those days.
Oh, I’m the advertising manager for our local newspaper. Like my town, it too has been around since the gold rush era.
I’ve studied the cyclical activity of my downtown, have watched shop owners present the merits of programs like the 3/50 project, I pushed like the dickens to excite people over Small Business Saturday but at the end of the day I still have merchants who close up shop after 5:00, don’t bother to open on holiday weekends and passively wait for someone else to drive business their way. I am not assuming that is the case for this particular brick and mortar, merely stating my observations.
The challenge I see with the premise of the post is consumer behavior motivated by guilt is not sustainable. I live in a pretty progressive state; as a result we benefit from a cultural mindset that wants to shop local, eat local but even still this is a small percentage of consumer activity.
After reading The Rise of the Creative Class and a white paper titled Creative Placemaking I’m convinced, in our case, blending our artistic community with our business community could represent a catalyst for change. We now have murals being painted, artists hanging their work in businesses to coincide with a monthly Art Walk, local musicians partnering with street events and restaurants. People are starting to get excited about being downtown again.
You can encourage a single act of consumer behavior through guilt but there still needs to be reasons for the consumer to come back. Businesses need to find their hunger and excitement. People buy from people they like, and like to be around.
You make a good point about business owners needing to be responsive to customers. I agree, and this is why I said I would never blame a business closing on customers.
I’m also not suggesting patronage out of guilt. That’s just stupid. What I am suggesting is that many people are hypocritical, or lazy, or both. They want independent businesses, but they don’t want the inconvenience required to patronize them. Or they don’t want to pay a premium price for what is, usually, a premium product.
Your approach to co-mingling arts and business sounds like a great idea. Hope it goes well! Thanks for commenting.
Awesome post! I have been in SimpleKneads shoes before, had to close a family business (a bakery in fact) and send 50 employees to the street. It is a hard reality.
You hit the point about being a loyal customer. Things will not be there day after day, and the Little Apathies that are compounded by our own over wrought schedules that tell us, “I’ll get by there tomorrow, this product will do because I can’t (wont) take the time to go the extra 10 minutes to support the local place.” I am guilty of it. But, the bakery industry is one of the hardest to make work. Thinnest margins, at the mercy of commodity prices, and unless you are a mega user of product, no discounts on raw materials.
I hope the people this reached will consider the locals in their purchasing decisions. The more people that buy local encourage more local places to pop up. Thanks for writing!
Thanks for commenting, Paul.
We’re all guilty of succumbing to convenience or low cost at one time or another. I hope that my post will help people remember that every purchase matters.
I owned an espresso bar for six years in Cary, NC. We sold it in 2007 just before the economy took a dip. We faced the same situation of customers coming in and raving about how great our cappuccinos were compared to the chains. However, convenience trumped quality more often than not I’m afraid. We would see some people once every few months because they had to make a left to get to us and that was too much trouble!
However, we had folks that would only buy from us. I think local businesses have to get out into the community more if they can, and in some ways using social media has made connecting to customers somewhat easier than it was a few years back.
Is Muddy Dog coffee open to the public? Where can one buy it? I found out about you from the CaryCitizen.com site today.
Andy
Thanks for your comment Andy. Our roastery is open Tuesdays 11-2 and Thursdays 11-7. Other times by appointment, or just call first, we’re often there during regular business hours (and outside them, too). You can always order online and pick up at the roastery.