Standing Up to the Big Boys

A longtime merchant once characterized the joys of being your own boss this way: "You are governed by your customers, your landlord, your suppliers, your employees, your competition, the economy and the government."

While some of those challenges can be met with savvy management, others, such as competition, aren't so easy to overcome. Recent months have brought reports of several long-time shops, from pharmacies to furniture sellers, shuttering their businesses, partly due to rising lease costs and competition.

Does the proliferation of chain stores and malls, including Miromar Outlets, Coconut Point and Gulf Coast Town Center, coupled with the rise of Internet and television shopping mean that small businesses in the area are headed for extinction?

Not a chance, say some local entrepreneurs who insist they're thriving, and staying that way by doing what the competition doesn't.

Paul Stanford declares his enthusiasm for the business he owns with Fran Formica is as hearty as it was when the two opened The Gift Tree in north Naples almost 20 years ago.

"We do things that the chain stores can't," he explains. "Last week I spent hours repairing a Christmas accessory that was bought here two years ago. I didn't have to, but I did."

The partners didn't have to-but did-offer a layaway plan to a nine-year-old when the store opened in the Pavilion in 1987. The boy wanted to buy his mom a special ring with his lawn-mowing and chore money, and visited often with some change or a crumpled dollar or two.

"Once, while he was making a payment, three ladies who were shopping asked about him; and when they heard his story they paid off his balance," Stanford reports. "He's an adult now and a regular customer."

Stanford credits the buying acumen and display skills of his partner for creating a selling space, in Greentree Shopping Center since 1995, that many shoppers find captivating; and customers welcome their product knowledge.