Store Design Network

Business is conducted in this country by the dictates of capitalism. It is a formula simply put, which applies the "survival of the fittest" concept to the economic sphere. Governed by the hungry processes of supply and demand, those companies or businesses, that can deliver the necessities and luxuries of which there is a market will be the ones to survive or even thrive on the insatiable appetites of the masses.

This implies or is even an explicit expression of competition at its best and in some cases competition at its worst. Often time stores and businesses are not simply aiming at producing the most superior products or services at the lowest cost, but also try to supplant and undermined there competition. This is when it gets ugly, smear campaigns, scandals, and rumors generated but competing companies can get really messy to the point where they are not only trying to outdo each other but actively trying to damage there competition. This goes from the produce stands all the way up to corporate espionage.

I take the time to write up this background information because I have experiences a tremendous paradigm shift in my business and in the attitudes and perspectives I have had until not. It's a short story and I hope you will find it worth the time it takes to read it.

I was at a bar late last Thursday night and got into a discussion about what I do and the challenges of the business. I sell women's apparel, and the long list of challenges associated with my field took me quite some time to explain. My industry is saturated with competition, it does not take a major investment to get started and so many young entrepreneurs take a shot at this business. I have been doing this for fourteen years and can't even count the amount of competing stores that went under. Fortunately I have had some success, but It was that time of year wee I had to redesign the store and switch things up and was dreading having to spent the money on new mannequins and shelves. My store has looked the same way for almost six years now and it was time to mix things up.

So I talk with this young woman up for an hour and as I'm going on a young guy interrupts our conversation. It turns out that he has a clothing store a few miles way and that he would be interested in seeing what I'm getting rid of. He offered to swap some of his stuff for some of mine so that both of our store (which are not in direct competition) could benefit. He was a bit drunk but I took him up on his offer and called him the next day. He ended up coming over and we swapped some critical things that would give both our store a different look. We swapped mannequins and dress forms, hangers, a large clothing chest for a row of bookshelves. It was amazing.

The reason why I write this is that despite all of the crazy competitiveness in today's market there are still some people who can do a kind thing and fin a way that two people instead of one can benefit. There is a human side to business and it should not be neglected.

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