by Alex Garland
Luis Rodriguez and Leona Moore-Rodriguez, spouses and co-owners of Beacon Hill café The Station, have created another “third space” by claiming a slice of Columbia City and making it their own. In an increasingly challenging city to start something new, friends, neighbors, and customers have rallied behind the coffee duo to make sure this new space happens.
Continue reading The Station Soft Opens in Columbia Cityby Luis Rodriguez
Running a small neighborhood business is incredibly rewarding. We live and work in our neighborhood, we know our customers by first name and what they like to eat and drink, and we are deeply involved in our community. But small retail and food business owners know the challenges to keeping our doors open are numerous. Retaining talented staff, street closures, construction, small margins, and unpredictable events like the pandemic, to name just a few.
Being in the shadow of much larger corporate businesses competing for the same customers is a given. Companies like Starbucks have the name recognition, marketing power, real estate, and other advantages to clobber us in sales, no matter how loyal our customer base is. But there’s another factor that contributes to an unlevel playing field that works to their advantage.
Continue reading OPINION | Giant Retailers Use Consumers’ Gift Card Money as Another Advantage Over Small Businesses
