Thinking and shopping outside the big box

Locally owned businesses offer special expertise, merchandise

By: Michelle Turcotte, Herald Times Reporter

MANITOWOC — On an unseasonably warm Monday afternoon in May, five friends read and chatted while seated on a comfy couch and chairs, surrounded by bright and inviting decor and books in every corner. The setting is LaDeDa Books & Beans, and one of the five friends is owner Bev Denor, who's visiting with some of her frequent patrons.

"We provide a comfortable atmosphere for people to meet, relax, and shop," said Denor, who cultivated her love for books at an early age growing up around the corner from Carnegie Library in Manitowoc. Denor opened LaDeDa Books & Beans in 1996 after spending years as a high school English and theatre instructor, directing her passion into a new career.

Owners of specialty and niche-product stores with a passion for what they do offer welcome alternatives to homogenized shopping experiences at ubiquitous big-box stores. Their enthusiasm means deeper product knowledge. And shoppers often deal directly with the store's owner, translating into personalized customer service and meaningful relationships.

"We don't have space to stock the inventory that online and big-box stores do," Denor said, "but we offer customers fast, special-order access to the same titles, along with the benefit of friendly, knowledgeable, hometown service."

It is probably no surprise that superior customer service is a perk of the small business shopping experience, but what about the persistent perception that it's more expensive to shop at local specialty stores?

"People assume big-box stores are cheaper," said Todd Kresheck, owner of Lloyd's Photo & Digital Inc., "and in my store that's not the case. Products are usually the same price, especially for cameras."
Kresheck has been into photography since junior high. He purchased the store in 1981 from his father, Lloyd Kresheck, who opened the Manitowoc store in 1951. The man knows cameras.

"We actually know what we're talking about," said Kresheck. "We make sure customers are getting the right camera by listening to their needs, what they'll use it for, what they're frustrated with."

'It's our job to know'

Paul Tittl, owner of Vacuum & Sewing Center in Manitowoc, jokes that he tells customers if they want to have some fun, go to a big-box store and ask about vacuum cleaners.

"They'll either read the tag or the box to you," said Tittl with a laugh. "It's our job to know exactly what's out there on the market, and to know the product we're selling."

Mary Madison, who owns Mad About Music with her husband, Robert, agrees.

"The No. 1 thing as opposed to buying instruments from a big-box store is the personalized service," said Madison. "All our guitars are taken out of the box, looked over and played. They're items I'd purchase for myself."

The expertise is there. Robert, currently touring as stage manager for Aerosmith, has worked in the music industry for 25 years.

Tittl, who opened his shop in 1987 with 15 vacuums and now stocks 50-plus varieties, is selective about the vacuum cleaners he sells, saying the most popular and advertised vacuums aren't necessarily the highest quality.

"Sometimes the exact opposite," he said. "We know track records on products because we do a lot of repair work."

Specialty stores also offer services such as repairs that customers can't always get at big-box stores. Mad About Music and Lloyd's Photo & Digital offer repairs, as well as music and beginner photography lessons. Tittl offers free sewing lessons with purchase. Kresheck processes film, which most big-box stores don't do anymore, and converts 8-mm film and other formats to DVD or CD.

Specialty shops are labeled special for a reason. They often offer unique products not always found in big-box stores.

"Small, family-owned gift shops have much more to offer than big-box stores," said Cindy Thayer, owner of The Honey Pot in Two Rivers, which sells an eclectic mix of women's accessories, jewelry, collectibles and more. "Our great selection of merchandise is attributed to our super customer service and conversations with our customers to find out what they are looking for. Big-box stores don't have that ability to interact one-on-one with customers."

Vintage and thrift clothing stores like Timeless Treasures of Manitowoc offer unique, hand-selected items from our past.

"Workmanship is something you don't see too often in clothing nowadays from big-box stores," said owner Dawn Steckmesser, who believes vintage clothing is better quality. "Big-box stores carry cookie-cutter items."

Chow Chong, owner of Unique Flying Objects of Two Rivers, echoed the sentiment.

"We carry a lot of items that are not what you find at the big-box stores in terms of quality or variety," said Chong. "We guarantee our kites fly … and we provide a lot of knowledge and instruction on how to fly them. You're not getting that at a discount store."

Jim Vogel of Doctor Freud's Records & Tapes, an independent music store in this age of digital downloads, takes pride in offering a broad selection.

"We offer things off the beaten path and a little more obscure," he said. "We know our customers, which determines what we bring in as well."

"We pride ourselves on what we sell," said Steckmesser of Timeless Treasure. "We love what we do and I feel it shows. Taking pride in your business is something you don't see with the big-box guys."

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