By Michael Holahan, PA General Store

Is the word Proprietor outdated, harkening back to an earlier time when most of CCPA’s members were retailers? The current membership of CCPA is made up of educated professionals from the fields of finance, law, marketing, etc. Few, if any, of the present members are wearing an apron while “minding the store.”

I have been a proud shopkeeper for over 24 years. I am intrigued by the notion that a business owner would find the title “proprietor” off putting. While it is true that most business owners do not sell a pork chop over the counter, the very qualities that make a store successful should translate to success in other endeavors. Retailers are in the business of delivering the right combination of products and services to a targeted audience at the right price. When choosing the selection of merchandise to sell the retailer must consider the best way to deliver a great product, differentiate their brand from the competition, and maintain a profitable margin. Their success depends not only on the quality and perceived value of their wares but on the consistent delivery of a level of service that meets or exceeds the expectation of its customers. Providing this service is totally dependent on how well the proprietor assembles and trains their team. What business owner does not grapple with these issues?

What matters most to our customers/clients? When they make the trip to a store, brick and mortar or virtual, they expect to find what they need. If there’s a problem, they want to know that there is someone there to fix things, someone who not only cares about their satisfaction but also has the authority to make things right. In an age when companies have layers of customer service representatives, we all crave access to the place where the buck stops. If you were in a store and had an issue to resolve, would you rather deal with a supervisor, district manager or the proprietor? Why would any businessperson not want their clients to think of them as a proprietor? Whether you are an associate lawyer or a mid-level financial consultant in a large company, your relationships with your clients are as dear to you as any shopkeepers are with their customers.

If 24 years in the Reading Terminal Market has taught me anything, it is that an unappreciated customer is a former customer. For years, the newsletter of Reading Terminal Merchants Association, a collection of 80 different proprietors, ended with the following quote. “Good will is the disposition of pleased customers to return to the place where they have been well treated”.

What business would not be well served to remember that?

Michael Holahan along with his wife Julie are the proprietors of the Pennsylvania General Store, a retail and mail order company specializing in Pennsylvania made foods and crafts. www.pageneralstore.com