Many corporations and the mom-and-pop shops on the corner are finding business to be a story of pathos and comedy, with their cast of customers too hesitant to step in and save the day.
Their chambers of commerce are thinking more in the adventure-rescue vein, charging into the final reel with programs and events designed to help.
John D”™Ambrosio, Orange County Chamber of Commerce president, sizes up the situation as “something more than a recession and something we have never experienced before.” The 2,400-member chamber held its annual tabletop expo at Galleria Mall in Middletown on Saturday, April 4. While it attracted the same number of vendors as last year, foot traffic was down considerably.
Approximately 35 percent of the mall”™s businesses, particularly those focused on the “tween” market, were noticeably gone.
One vendor”™s take on the empty storefronts? “People are getting back to basics. It”™s a tough thing, but it”™s a good thing. Maybe we needed this to happen to bring us down to earth. How many 6-year-old girls need to look like they are 15?”
Phillip de Santis, regional sales manager for Arnoff Moving and Storage, said the company has seen an uptick in estimates since the onset of spring. “We”™re dependent upon the real estate market,” he said. “We”™re seeing a lot of foreclosures, which means people are moving. Unfortunately, the down side is that most of those people have nothing to move. The up side is that people buying those foreclosures are calling looking for a moving company. Right now, interest rates are probably at their lowest. It”™s a great time to buy. Naturally, that would help us, too, but more than that, it would stimulate the economy.” DeSantis says people seem to be stuck in gear: “They don”™t know what”™s coming, so they are in a ”˜wait and see”™ mode.”
Charles North, president of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce in Poughkeepsie, says teaming up with D”™Ambrosio and marketing the region”™s “Buy Local” campaign on local radio is helping. “That”™s what people did during the Depression ”“ they stuck together,” said North. “The small business owners worked together, supported each other and looked toward local community banks to help them get through it. We have to work harder, work smarter, with less money and more creativity. That goes for all of us, not just our members, but the chambers as well. Our job is to help our members stay in business.”
Ann Meagher, like her chamber counterparts, is sending out e-mail blasts to Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber members to keep them in the loop. “First and foremost, we have to stick together, particularly when we see what”™s going on in Albany. Local chambers joining together have shown how powerful we can be when we speak as one voice, as we did on the MTA tax. While we”™re not out of the woods yet, we are making enough noise to ensure Albany will recognize that small business owners here cannot withstand any more taxation, whether it is the mobility tax or new fees.”
D”™Ambrosio added, “They call them fees, but in reality it”™s just another three-letter word for tax.”
Farther west, Sullivan County may not be impacted by the mobility tax, but its 600-member chamber led by Terri Ward is counting on Louis Cappelli”™s Entertainment City to revitalize the Catskills. “Like other chambers, we are doing more with less, just as our members are,” said Ward. “Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce is putting together a bankers”™ forum in Rock Hill on April 29 to help our business community.” As far as Cappelli”™s plans, Ward said people are working at the former site of the Concord, and she”™s more than hopeful Entertainment City will come to fruition. “Louis Cappelli is a tremendously talented and smart businessman,” said Ward, “and he”™s going to make this happen. He”™s got the support of the entire county behind him.”
Al Samuels, president of the Rockland Business Association, said his monthly economic forum group, which meets the second Wednesday of each month, “ran over its usual time today. People are disgusted with what”™s happening in Albany. We are seeing attendance up at all our functions, not just the mixers and luncheons, but at the seminars and business forums we hold regularly, just like the one I just left. We”™re partnering with the Rockland Economic Development Corp. to work with women small business owners and have invited them to come to our monthly women”™s forum free of charge. The key is keeping our members in the loop about what”™s going on in Albany that is directly affecting them.”
Joyce Minard, president of New Paltz Regional Chamber of Commerce, said, “More than anything, people need to hear something positive today in the media; and we need to stick together. Our morning business-card exchanges are really booming now and we try to give our members as much support as possible. Many are starting to see the value of the chamber”™s resources. We are here to help small business survive.”
Ward Todd, farther north in Kingston and president of the Ulster County Chamber of Commerce, said his organization”™s 1,300 members are taking advantage of programs the chamber offers. “Right now, we are looking for a venue that can hold a large crowd,” he said. “We”™ll be having a mixer at Tech City at the end of the month that will run for three hours rather than the usual two. Tech City is marketing itself and they”™ve been a great help to us, too, in giving us a location where we can hold more than 300 people. They want to be able to get together and exchange ideas and business cards. If we are going to stay in business, we need to rely on each other.”
Making noise in Albany to “help us instead of bury us is our top priority,” said Charles North, “and we”™ve been doing a lot more outreach to government and a lot more lobbying on behalf of our members. We”™re working five times harder, providing more seminars, getting as much education about what”™s going on and how to survive through this economic crisis as possible.”
Peter Bardunias, president of the Greater Mahopac-Carmel Chamber of Commerce, is looking forward to the turnout for the chamber”™s annual Shop Putnam Expo on May 6. “We expect at least 100 to 125 vendors signing up for the event at
at Villa Barone. It”™s a great way for businesses to get their message out about what they offer and for people to mingle and do business with each other. Advertising is so expensive for many. Our big push is to get our members talking to each other ”“ that”™s the way to get business to gel. I think people are reaching out for a support system in this economy, and we”™re working to get the message out about doing business locally and bringing more education to our members.
“The positive result of this economy has made us more community-minded,” Bardunias said. “We”™re getting back to basics and meeting our neighbors face-to-face.”
Most chamber heads said they”™ve had an “open door” policy for members who need flexible payment plans. Others have not experienced as many requests, but are willing and able to work with members who are trying to make ends meet. One thing, all agreed, is that those who once joined in name only are now taking advantage, not just of the insurance benefits, but of the educational and networking benefits chambers offer.
The biggest message from local chamber leaders was: Shop local, dine local, and stay local; that is the key to survival.
