Comment on Good service, atmosphere keeps indie retailers in the game

NEW YORK (AP) — When people line up at a coffee shop for their morning brew or crowd a bookstore to meet a famous author, don't assume they're patronizing a national chain. Many independent stores have been able to survive, thrive and even launch in spite of competition from big box retailers like Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble and Home Depot. Economics professor Carlena Cochi Ficano of Hartwick College in New York estimated in 2012 that on average, between 4.4 and 14.2 retailers closed within 15 months of a Wal-Mart store opening nearby. Published reports have said Sports Authority, which has been struggling to make its debt payments, may close 200 of its 450 stores Indie retailers that survive are able to provide a personal touch that a big box retailer cannot because they must comply with corporate procedures, can't offer says Edward Fox, a marketing professor at Southern Methodist University. The Lake Forest, Illinois, sporting goods retailer, which has been in Aric Shlifka's family for nearly 50 years, doesn't have room for as many different baseball gloves, athletic shoes and other items as stores like Dick's or Sports Authority. Because Kiddles is well-known in Lake Forest and nearby communities, podiatrists and physical therapists recommend patients buy shoes at the store. "People trust us to help them choose the right bike or shoe," says Shlifka, who adds that the services his store provides have helped revenue increase between 2 percent and 4 percent annually in recent years.