dispatches from the new world of work

Guarantee!

Guarantee?
How ridiculous!
But here it comes.

I guarantee that any reader from anywhere can learn something from this book:

Retail Superstars: Inside the 25 Best Independent Stores in America, by retail guru
George Whalin

Guarantee?
Yup!

These are stores that, literally, give new meaning to the word "special." That personify one of my "Top 10 Favorite Quotes," from Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead): "You don't want to be merely the best. You want to be the only ones who do what you do."

We start, naturally, in Fairfield, Ohio, home to Jungle Jim's International Market. The adventure in "shoppertainment" begins in the parking lot, and goes on to 1,600 cheeses and, yes, 1,400 varieties of hot sauce—not to mention 12,000 wines priced from the very bottom to $8,000 a bottle; all this is brought to you from 4,000 vendors from around the world. Like virtually all the stores in this book, customers arrive from every corner of the globe.

There's Abt Electronics in Chicago, Zabar's in Manhattan, and Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frakenmuth, Michigan—a town of just 5,000 whose 98,000-square-foot "shop" features the likes of 6,000 Christmas ornaments, 50,000 trims, and anything else you can name if it pertains to Christmas.

There's the Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach, Florida.
And Junkman's Daughter in Atlanta, and Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville, Tennessee.

We finish the tour where we started—in Ohio. This time we visit Hartville Hardware in Hartville, OH.

These stores demonstrate-prove so many things:

You can create a worldwide attraction and thrive as an independent in the Age of the Big Box retailer.
You can do anything.
You can be from anywhere.
You can make any-damn-thing bizarrely-amazingly-stupendously special.
"Customer care" gets a new definition.
"Showmanship" gets a new definition.

If you run a training department ... you can learn from this book.
If you run a sales department of 1 or 101 people ... you can learn from this book.
If you run a purchasing department ... DEDICATED TO INTERNAL CUSTOMER CARE ... you can learn from this book.

You can learn about Special.
You can learn about being "the only ones who do what we do."
You can learn about Leadership.
You can learn about "experience marketing."
You can learn about the irrelevance of Supersized Competitors ... if you are special enough.
You can learn about Sustaining EXCELLENCE.

Inside the 25 Best Independent Stores in America gives new meaning to my trademark phrase:

EXCELLENCE. Always.
If not EXCELLENCE, What?

As I said, perhaps for the first time:

I guarantee that any reader engaged in any activity, who wants to, can learn from this book.

[Note from Cathy: Tom says the fun starts in the parking lot, but I say it starts on the websites of these businesses. Except for the Junkman's Daughter link, every one of the links in this post leads to an exciting website with fantastic images and goods aplenty on offer. And if you want a sword, I know where you can get one. In fact, I almost bought a knife, a basket of goodies, a set of speakers ... ]

Tom Peters posted this on 05/12/09.

Comments

We moved the comment I first put here into the post itself, but I have something else to say. There's one of these places near my house in Greater Boston. Penzey's Spices: http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/shophome.html. A friend of mine makes pilgrimages there, and she showed me this store that's almost around the corner from where I live! Almost the first thing you notice is letters from customers--many, many happy customers, famous chefs among them--posted on a bulletin board. Then you get lost in browsing the shop's wares. Cinnamon from Ceylon, ginger from China, curries from India in a range of heats, ajwain and annato and other spices I never heard of before. I haven't experienced superior service there, but it's a destination nonetheless. I highly recommend a visit if you're ever in my neighborhood.

Posted by cathy mosca at May 12, 2009 10:28 AM

You can learn about Specious.
You can learn about being "the only ones who connive like the British."
You can learn about worshiping C Love.
You can learn about "existential marketing."
You can learn about the tastiness of Supersized McEverything ... if you have special sauce enough.
You can learn about Defiling EXCELLENCE.

Inside the 25 Best Independent Stores in America gives new meaning to the trademark phrase:

DEFILING. Always.
If not DEFILING, What?
If not DEFILING the British, Who?
Where?
When?
Why?
How?
:>)

Posted by C Love at May 12, 2009 7:04 PM

Hey Tom!

This book is a great find! With national chains popping up all over the place offering steep discounts on the things we buy, this book is an inspiration to mom and pop stores everywhere!

It got so bad in Portland, ME the small business owners pooled their money together and ran radio ads begging people to come shopping in the downtown section to "support local business owners". Not once did they say anything about offering more personable service, better selection, higher level of expertise, etc...

Glad I found your blog, and I hope you get a chance to stop by mine somtime!

Capt. Ben

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Posted by Capt. Ben at May 12, 2009 7:40 PM

I work for a retail chain in India and based on your "guarantee" I have already recommended this book to my co-workers :) I can't wait to lay my hands on it.

Posted by Subir Ghosh at May 13, 2009 12:04 AM

Thank you, Tom and Cathy. Both ideas are good.

Posted by Andres Agostini (Andy) at May 13, 2009 2:59 AM

Make that the MP's/Congress rather than brilliant Brits ... the UK front line rules & de-evolution rules ... >:)

Posted by C Love at May 13, 2009 7:07 AM

"It got so bad in Portland, ME the small business owners pooled their money together and ran radio ads begging people to come shopping in the downtown section to "support local business owners". Not once did they say anything about offering more personable service, better selection, higher level of expertise, etc..."

Capt. Ben, I've gotten into a lot of trouble locally over this very point; i argue with locals, "Local is my deciding point ... if and only if the service, etc is equal--or better."

Posted by tom peters at May 13, 2009 8:02 AM

In my view, respectful of that of others, excellence in management is intertwined with leadership. Therefore! Benjamin Disraeli: “I must follow the people. Am I not a LEADER? Lao Tze: “To lead people, walk behind them.”

Posted by Andres Agostini (Andy) at May 17, 2009 3:23 PM