The small businesses in Richmond create an environment where everyone feels connected in the community. These businesses make it easy for the Richmond community to feel at home and safe. Small, locally-owned businesses personalize their customer service and all that has to do with their business to bring in new customers who want a personalized touch. The small, locally-owned businesses are open because the owner is passionate about whatever they’re selling or doing.
Supporting these businesses gives them a chance to compete with the larger corporate chains that have been running the economy of business for a long time. Larger corporation chains don’t care about a personalized touch or how much harder small businesses have to work to keep their stores open. They only care about money. This is what separates locally-owned, small businesses from chain businesses. Although every business runs off of profit and money, small businesses have the passion and drive to thrive off of their community’s support.
While walking into a locally-owned, small business you get a sense of home and you feel safe to enter knowing whatever kind of business it is, you’re going to get a personalized experience and be taken care of. Whether it is a restaurant that makes homemade everything or a beauty salon where the owner greets you at the door, small, locally-owned businesses feel personal and safe.
One of the reasons why small, locally-owned businesses feel safe and personal is because their customers know where their products come from. They often sell all-natural and homemade produced items. Especially in a community where the small business is personally well known, the customers feel safe knowing that the products are manufactured and made personalized for the community. With chain businesses, it’s hard to navigate what their items are actually made of. This is where small businesses thrive, making products that the customers feel safe consuming and buying.
Downtown Richmond has many businesses that are locally owned and small and have close-knit experiences and customer service. See: Urban Farmhouse Market & Café at 1217 E Cary Street.
This Market & Café is owned by Kathleen Richardson. Richardson said in this Venture Richmond article, “Richmonders have shown they want good, straight-from-the-earth food where they know where and how it’s been grown.” Owners like Kathleen know that the community of Richmond wants this personal touch and to know where their food and products come from.
Another small-owned business that is mentioned in the Venture Richmond article is Soul Taco on 321 N 2nd St. The owners, Ari Augenbaum, Nar Hovnanian and Trey Owens, started the business in 2018 to inspire and support a culturally diverse food place. Their business has been growing because of the amount of support Soul Taco has received since opening. The community of Richmond has supported this small business to the point that they were able to open more ventures in Raleigh, NC.
Small, locally-owned businesses give communities a sense of security and safety that offers a personal touch whenever you walk in. These businesses are opened from the ground up and take passion and drive to make it. The community of Richmond helps small businesses thrive because of that feeling of safety and the personal touch these businesses give the community.