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Small businesses in Castle Rock use personality to their advantage

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Small business owner Sara Brown checks out customers at The Barn, Mar. 16. Brown is the owner of Sassy Chic Mamas, a boutique shop. Photo by Jake Sell.

CASTLE ROCK, COLO. – Valerie Hays watches customers filter into her home and garden store, Dutch & Ollie, with a warm smile and a readiness to assist. The customers move through the rows of bright, distinctive items for sale, occasionally holding the artifacts up to share them with fellow shoppers. Every so often, an interested shopper will come to her with questions about the odd trinket or decorative item they’ve found, which she passionately answers.

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Shoppers are out in droves today, owing to the first spell of nice weather and the lively St. Patrick’s Day festival taking place only a block away.

 

Hays’ shop is just one of many that reside at The Barn, an antique and specialty shop in downtown Castle Rock.

 

Boutique shopping centers like The Barn have created a space for small business owners to sell their wares. Sara Brown, owner of the boutique shop Sassy Chic Mamas said the owners band together under a reputation of good customer service, quality products and a passion for their business.

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Hays said that large corporations like Amazon, Walmart, and Michaels provide cheap, convenient products for their consumers, whereas small businesses tend to aim for individuality and positive personal experience.

 

“Their stuff is cheap,” Hays said. “It’s from China. Mine is different; It’s a different caliber, it’s done artistically, and it’s not made in a factory. I think that appeals to people.”

           

Shirley Dilsworth, owner of Shirley’s Treasures, has been in business for 26 years. She sells handcrafted jewelry at The Barn and has prided herself on the personal relationships she creates while doing so.

 

Dilsworth said the most important quality that small business owners like herself have in comparison to big-box stores is face-to-face connection.

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“People get to know me,” Dilsworth said. “I’m Shirley of Shirley’s Treasures. They like talking to the business owner. I’m not here every day, but when I’m here I build that connection, I hand out my card, and they feel my enthusiasm for my product. It makes them more likely to buy from somebody who really thinks their own product is good.”

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Dilsworth said that big-box workers are often dispassionate about the products they sell and are not likely to take the time to promote a beneficial reputation with their customer.

 

“This is my stuff, so I’m passionate about it. Dilsworth said. “The big-boxes have employees, and they may be running out the door at 5 o’clock, whereas, if I’ve got a customer at 5:20, 6 o’clock, 6:20, I’m here.”

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Alexander E.M. Hess and Douglas McIntyre of 24/7 Wall St. back up this statement. “Employee dissatisfaction with their employers may also be playing a role with poor customer service,” said Hess. “Large retailers often pay their employees fairly low wages, and they offer few benefits and insufficient hours to satisfy workers.”

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Mike Kappel, a contributor to Forbes, says there are benefits to keeping money in a community.

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“Circulating money in the same locality helps that community thrive,” Kappel said, “A strong network of local funds enables individuals and businesses within a community to support each other.”

 

Hays and Dilworth said they do whatever they can to give their customers a positive experience. Their customer service and attention to detail are what say they draw customers back to their shops, and what gives them a leg up on the competition. 

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The Modern Small Business Owner. Source: Intuit

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