The Return to Americana!

If we as Americans are feeling anything these days, it might be a retro look towards our past. Why doesn't someone just put a V-chip on every one of the "all news networks" or simply send them a polite email asking them to please just "shut up!" If I have to hear the phrase "economy in crisis" just one more time, I will personally book a plane to New York and hide behind the cameras at NBC Nightly News so I can dash out onto the set during an in-opportune time just to mess up Brian William's hair!

What is happening to us in this weirdest of all economies is more of a people challenge rather than a media event. The news is calling our financial situation the "new depression." Have you looked around lately? I really haven't noticed less people in the checkout line at the grocery store than before. I drove by the auto dealership the other day and actually saw many people on the lot looking at cars. Get this, I even know someone who bought a house in just this past week. And according to the National Weather Service, there hasn't been any dust storms predicted in the near future. So I ask you, what is really going on in our new and stimulated economy? The answer seems to me to be the return to good ol' Americana. Let me explain.

The world is not what it used to be. Foreign markets, deficient spending, trade imbalances, global conflicts, plus the ingredient of greed have finally come due with the promissory note of reality. Were we all really so naive to sit and look at our monthly stock market statements and think that was real money? How about the inflated housing markets where virtually nobody could put a tangible price tag on the property. I think the Florida hurricane rampage of a few years ago threw an honest gut check into that equation. What about the banks? Did anybody really think that in these modern and techno savvy times that a lending institution could actually fail? I went in the store the other day to buy a toaster and they gave me a free bank! If you believe everything you read and hear today, our global village is in major chaos. Chain stores are falling and the quarterly reports are not good. Circuit City is closing. Lowes reports a sizable loss while Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Target stores follow suit with earning reports of their first major losses of Biblical proportions. So… where is all the commerce headed?

I firmly believe that when Americans are in crisis, they gravitate toward people we know and trust. I also believe that in this case that 'friends" relate to the comfort and safe haven of the local business owner. As it used to be, and somehow got so out of proportion, it's simply a case during tough times of friends helping friends.

How refreshing it was a couple of weeks ago as I stood in Market Street Hardware on a Saturday morning. The place was packed with customers as they shopped, joked, and interacted with the owner as he kindly showed them everything from wood screws to space heaters. While the news media tells us that times are deteriorating everywhere, Mark Harris the owner of Market Street Hardware spoke on behalf of the small business owner.

"It's not been easy, believe me." Mr. Harris began. "The big chain stores and mega-style of shopping was and always has been a menace to guys like me. What I think I'm seeing now is a rebirth, or at least gravitation back to a more personalized approach to shopping. The fact that the owner is here to help the customer and do all the little things to cement a friendship and trust is what I think the customer is now after."

Rich Fraley of Rich TV and Home Center Agrees. "As a family owned and run business, we've always had our work cut out for us. I realize we all have to make a dollar, but it seems that lately people are searching for the kind of personalized service we can offer at this level. They say things are down, but we have seen an impressive beginning to the year. I think it all boils down to the fact that consumers feel comfortable dealing with the small guys again because we have so much extra to offer."

These scenarios are not just isolated incidents. As trust in our major support systems in the commerce arena has failed, the small business owner who we lovingly refer to as "mom and pop" seem to have once again been re-discovered. The sad fact is that they have always been there for us. No, you won't find them in the mega-malls or the Galleria; the small business owner can't afford that. In most cases you will find them in a charming one of a kind storefront that you just might have to look for.

According to Marty Mohr of Automania, the perks are sweet. "We treat all of our customers to a setting like they will find no where else." Mr. Mohr exclaims. "Everybody that experiences what we do kind of look at us as a throwback to the good old days where they not only get a great product and service, but also have fun doing business with you. That's the way it should be for everybody."

Tough times, or has the dynamic of large impersonal trade been counter-punched by the small guy they tried to take it from? It's my gut feeling that the communion of locality and survival has once again meandered back to the way we all want to be treated by the folks we choose to hand over our hard earned money. Let's face it; you can by most anything anywhere. The art of the deal might all be decided simply by a friendly smile, a corny joke, and a free piece of candy as you leave.

Thanks Mom. Thanks Pop. We as customers and consumers still love you.

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Steve Hayes is a morning radio host and a syndicated columnist for Heartland Publishing.  E-mail Steve your comments... Steve@SteveHayesMedia.com 

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