There
were two pharmacies in the village where I grew up outside of Boston: the neat
one owned by Mr. Margolis, where my brother and I picked up my father’s
medicine, and the cluttered one with the nudie magazines on display. This is
where we bought my mother’s cigarettes. Even though we had to cross a dangerous
intersection to get to Mr. Margolis’ shop — and there were no nudie magazines
— we preferred it because the Big Red gum was one cent cheaper per pack.

Then
the nudie magazine pharmacy went out of business and a CVS opened nearby. My
father vowed to never fill his prescriptions there. He ranted about chains
putting the little guy out of business with their lower prices and shoddy
service. Our ears perked up at that. Lower prices? More gum!

We
had to go to CVS to buy cigarettes now — Mr. Margolis wouldn’t carry them —
and learned Big Red was still cheaper at his place. Once, when we crossed the
big intersection just for gum, Mr. Margolis yelled at us.

“Why
are you crossing that dangerous street?”

“The
gum is cheaper?” we said, scared.

“Forget
the price,” he said. “It’s safer for you to shop at CVS.”

I
started to babble about chains putting the little guy out of business. He cut
me off. “No one is putting anyone out of business.” He opened the register and
gave us a dime to cover the difference for 10 packs of gum.

A
few weeks later we returned, hoping to score another dime. He shooed us out.
Soon he closed up shop and went to work at the pharmacy counter at CVS.

I don’t know
what local
radio personality Michael Warren Thomas would make of this story, but the
issues it raises are germane to his new Savor Independents campaign. It
highlights how even the youngest consumers struggle making decisions in their
own economic interest while also having a social conscience.

The
demise of independent businesses has long bothered Thomas, who has promoted
local products and services on his weekend radio shows on 1040 WSYL-AM for a
decade. Savor Independents is his grassroots campaign to strengthen support for
and increase awareness of the little guy.

In
the case of my brother and me, the socially conscious thing to do was also the
most economical (Mr. Margolis — the little guy — had cheaper gum). But when
Mr. Margolis told us to shop at CVS, it wasn’t lost on us, even then, that he
was turning business away. We also doubted any chain-store clerk would ever
know us, never mind give us money.

Part
viral marketing, part 17th-century tradecards (used to advertise businesses
before newspapers were widespread), and just a little subversive, Savor
Independents is a two-pronged campaign that might just work if people can grasp
the concept.

One
prong is the website (www.savorindependents.com), the other is the business
card. The site lists local independent businesses organized by category
(restaurants, auto repair, pharmacies, etc.). Business owners pay a nominal $10
annual fee for a listing, which will cover printing costs for the business
cards, Thomas says. Customers can use it like an online, independents-only
yellow pages. One key feature of the site allows users to read and offer
feedback about businesses just like, Thomas says, eBay.

The
business cards are for owners and employees of independent firms to fill out
with their business name and contact information and pass on to customers and
employees at other independent firms. Those people will, in turn, add their
place of work (assuming it’s an independent) and pass the cards on to their
customers and the employees of other independent companies. And so on.

This
is not, as many assume at first, a discount card. In fact Thomas is adamantly
opposed to discounts in this instance. “A discount is a different incentive to
shop at an independent. You do it for the discount or you do it because you
think it’s a good idea.” With all the competition they face from chains, Thomas
says, the last thing he wants to do is ask independent businesses to give
discounts.

Thomas,
a City Newspaper contributor, hopes
instead to call attention to where we spend our consumer dollars and redirect
some of them away from chains and back to the community. No one has more to
lose, he says, than the owners and employees of independent businesses. When
these places close they lose their jobs.

His
cards and website cite some pretty compelling statistics: For every $100 spent
at a chain store, as little as $13 stays in the community. By contrast, for
every $100 spent at an independent business, as much as $45 stays here. And,
the site points out, “If you order online or mail order, virtually nothing
remains in Rochester.”

Still, though,
my
bargain-hunting, gum-addicted inner child suspects that Mr. Margolis
notwithstanding, chains are generally cheaper. Not true, says Thomas. He points
to several examples of independent businesses saving him money: Insurance? Tuke
Agency saved him hundreds. Roast beef? Ralf’s European Delicatessen beats
Wegmans. Oatmeal? Abundance Cooperative Market beats the supermarkets.

Thomas
concedes that chains can be convenient. Whenever he can, though, he takes the
time to patronize independent businesses where he trusts the employees and
their products.

“It’s
part of my entertainment,” he adds. “I meet interesting personalities in these
great little stores.” I know what he means.

This article appears in May 4-10, 2005.