Newer
Parkway businesses shop for effective image
By Lindsay Crudele/ Staff
Writer
Thursday, January 26, 2006
The two-year point is said to be that
proverbial limbo stick at which a new business owner knows whether
to, allowing a mixed metaphor, fish or cut bait.
In
the past two or so years, the Parkway has seen a glut of new
commerce from shops up and down Centre Street, down to Roslindale
Square and the surrounding areas, some now just jumping that
two-year hurdle.
"It?s
not always easy opening up," said West Roxbury Main Streets Director
Kelly Tynan. "One of biggest challenges is to get their name out
there, getting people to discover their shops."
One
of the strategies she sees now is teamwork among shop owners
themselves.
"Right
now, we?re seeing a lot of business owners coming together and
helping to promote each other?s businesses," said Tynan, such as a
group of women business owners in West Roxbury which has joined
forces. They placed coupons in local businesses that allowed for
discounts at any of each other?s stores.
"Word
of mouth is always a great way of advertising businesses, but
obviously that?s not always enough," she said. "It?s very difficult
to make sure people discover stores. A lot of people who have lived
here past couple of years probably don?t know a lot of these shops
exist."
The
spread of Centre Street can pose a public outreach challenge.
"We
have such a large business district compared to other neighborhoods
that it is always a challenge," she said.
Day-to-day
things such as going through local processes of community outreach
and legal application add to the task - "...all the permitting, fire
code, a lot of the little things that take a while to do. Luckily
there are resources," she said.
"It?s
certainly been an experience, that?s for sure," said Centre Street
boutique owner Rosemary Purtell of Baby Belle. "It?s been tough.
It?s not an easy market."
She
credits the newly formed West Roxbury Women?s Business League with
providing a forum by which to approach the challenges of owning a
new business.
"Generally,
what we found is that [shoppers] don?t look at West Roxbury as a
retail destination. It just has never been viewed that way," she
said, even when the Decelle?s was there which she said still was
patronized by locals. "It?s never been viewed as a place to go, like
Newton Centre."
Purtell
credited the city of Boston with assisting in starting up, but said
that being able to tread water later on is what she needs now. She
said the district will begin working with a public relations firm to
shape a marketing strategy to reach other communities as well as
within the area. One approach might be to sell the area like one big
outdoor mall, and think of the nearby businesses instead of looking
at a location for one-stop shopping.
"It?s
very difficult to figure out how you?re going to market," she said,
noting that she?s spoken with area neighbors who even after a year
did not realize a business had moved into the neighborhood. "I have
the best location, the biggest sign, and I?m thinking, ?Oh, my God,
should I make my sign bigger?? They don?t expect that a store is
going to be there; they?ve never seen it as that type of a place,
just a place where people live."
She
said the Women?s Business League works to refer business to each
other.
"But
the real problem comes after you open the business. Physically, it
looks beautiful, but how to do you develop business? Unless we have
a real surge of business, it?s very difficult to keep it afloat,"
she said.
But
collaboration is key for Purtell.
"If
you go it alone, you?re missing the boat," she said. "You can bang
your head against a wall and do all the ads yourself," she said, but
until people see the area as more than one antique store, one coffee
shop or one gallery, it will continue to be a struggle.
There
are intangible elements that in many cases cannot be helped, this
past year in particular, such as the economy. But there are ways to
use a keen eye and anticipate waves of business.
"Now
that I?ve gone through a whole year, I?ve seen the cycles. In the
summertime, this community is gone."
So
one approach will be to target the people who remain, and then to
reach customers from outside the area as well. The typically slow
time in January will be a time when Purtell will cater to First
Communion children.
"You
have to capitalize on those events and do what you can to market
them," she said.
This
month, Purtell plans to open up a space in the back of the shop
where she will sell items at up to a 50 percent discount. A strategy
for working that out includes purchasing samples of clothing.
"Samples
are a good way to try the product, see if somebody likes it, and you
can offer it at a discount," she said. "You always have to have
something in the store that?s on sale. If you don?t, they?ll just
turn around and leave," after being used to seeing many sales in
mall stores.
"It?s
been a tough time with the economy, to say the least," she said,
"and probably the worst time I could?ve picked to open."
Also
in West Roxbury, Carline Chery, owner of L?Essence Gallery which
opened in September 2004, said that she has heard feedback that West
Roxbury is an area too old fashioned for an art gallery.
"It?s
like they?re not used to it," she said. "They?re thinking, an art
gallery in West Roxbury? People think it?s not a good idea. But
every community is supposed to have an art gallery."
She
said that like any community ought to have a health center or
library, gallery space is an important component, and that she tries
to educate them.
"The
biggest challenge is to have clients keep coming back," she said.
Chery holds a philosophy salon in the gallery every third Friday,
and has held improvisational acting classes and monthly receptions
to keep bringing people in.
"My
goal is to keep my current clients, but I need to keep doing things
to have more people coming in," she said.
In
terms of a mentality that West Roxbury is old fashioned, she said,
"I live here, and I?m not old fashioned. You have to appreciate
what?s going on right now, and go forward."
Recently,
Roslindale Village shop Pet Cabaret celebrated its two-year
anniversary.
"We?ve
been very busy, and business has increased, which is very good,"
said co-owner Lisa Schlossberg. "We just strive to better the
business and do more business, and our goal is to stay in business
as long as we can."
Owner
Lisa Di Pietro said she comes at the business with a different
perspective than some who might have more of a business or finance
background. She said she?s valuing the help she has hired, and it
allows her to focus on other angles of running a small business,
such as choosing which products to stock.
"As
we have found, ignorance is a really useful tool," she joked. "I
think that to some degree, if you knew all the whys and wherefores,
it?s like marriage: if you knew how hard it was going to be before
you do it, you probably wouldn?t have done it in the first place.
So, you roll with the punches as they come."
Those
punches, in some cases, come in the form of paperwork. Di Pietro
said that the huge amount of paperwork has been a surprise, but that
they?ve hired a wonderful and competent bookkeeper to help keep them
ahead of the game.
"Being
your own everything is a formidable task," she said, noting
technical support and customer service among the jobs. "So if and
when you can find good adjunct help as we have, it?s really worth it
to spend the money." She said in addition to the bookkeeper, a local
man is working on the shop?s information technology needs.
"Sometimes
letting go, knowing where to let go, and knowing where your
strengths are is important," she said. "Maybe you can do your own
computer upgrading or accounting, but is that where your time is
most valuably spent?"
Lindsay Crudele can be reached at lcrudele@cnc.com.
phoROgallery03_1215zt
phoROpetcabaret03_1215zt
Jump
head
|
|
Artist
Anthony Lobosco and guest Monique Brun check out the art at a
recent show at L?essence Gallery in West Roxbury. (Staff photo
by Zara Tzanev) |
|
