It’s heartbreaking to see how fragile the local business community has become
“Recently, we shared on social media that if things don’t improve, we may have to close our doors after the holiday season. It wasn’t easy to share, but it felt right.
Over the years, Daytonians have become part of our story. By shopping with us, volunteering, helping raise donations, selling their goods outside, or bringing rescue animals to find their forever homes, you’ve been with us through it all, and we felt you deserved to know.
What we didn’t expect was the overwhelming response. Not just from supporters, but from fellow business owners facing similar struggles. Many shared that they’re one setback away from closing, with empty dining rooms, slow sales, and mounting challenges. While it’s comforting to know we’re not alone, it’s heartbreaking to see how fragile the local business community has become. This is not a club any of us want to be part of, and we all find ourselves wondering: Are things about to improve, or is the end near?”
- Read more from Brittany Danielle Smith, co-owner of Heart Mercantile and Luna in downtown Dayton.
Every other small business owner I know has started to hit the breaking point
“Beginning the endeavor to open Lily’s 12 years ago last week, I always knew it would be hard, and I knew you had to be a little bit crazy and a lot passionate about hospitality to take the task on – but I also knew I was both of those things. I had about 15 years of experience in hospitality at that point (now 27 years!), and believed in the value of the work and the opportunity it provides, myself having always maintained at least a part time job at a bar or restaurant even when I had a full-time job elsewhere. And while ownership was a different beast than hosting, serving, or bartending, my background was strong and I was familiar enough with the industry to know best practices and the general ebb and flow as well as familiarity with the long and erratic hours.
In March of 2020, things completely changed. Pivoting and perseverance were key factors that kept Lily’s going from mid March until June 2020 where we had no one in the building except for staff and only operated four hours a day. We thought June would bring a return to normalcy — it did not. Neither did June of 2021, or 2022, or 2024. Best practices had gone mostly out the window, never to return. This year, myself and almost every other small business owner I know has started to hit the breaking point of not having a “normal” year in a very long time, and I’d be over the moon for that razor thin margin to come back. Instead, many of us have been operating at losses that have or will become unsustainable without an influx of support.”
- Read more from Emily Mendenhall, owner of Lily’s Dayton.
Brick-and-mortar, mom and pop retail businesses are facing unique challenges
“We’ve had multiple generations of families come shop with us. It’s been wonderful to hear their feedback and to help people pick out an item that’s right for them. We get customers from all over the world. We had Sheryl Crow come in twice and comedian Emo Phillips multiple times, to name just a few.
We love the history of our items and appreciate the story they tell. We still find it fun to go out on house calls and get down on the ground and literally dig for some of our items — it’s a real-life treasure hunt.
But brick-and-mortar mom and pop retail everywhere has been struggling for at least the past five years due to the ubiquity of Amazon and Instacart and the like.
This underscores the importance of shopping small and local. More of the money you spend stays in the local community and, if you support small businesses, it will hopefully allow them to keep doing what they love to do. There are also benefits to the community unique to second-hand local stores like ours. Since opening nearly 50 years ago, Feathers Vintage has saved a lot of things from the landfill. And many small businesses feature unique items not found at the malls or websites like Shein and Temu.”