Interesting article .....
I agree with the characterizations the author makes (we've both 'seen' and 'been' some of those customers
), but I fundamentally disagree with the underlying premise that the LFS somehow 'deserves' to survive. I'm neither trying to be heartless nor cavalier because I understand that people's livelihoods are involved, but I'm just not convinced that the LFS is a sustainable entity anymore. I have also read very similar articles about other industries - very similar! I'm a big audio/video enthusiast, and some years ago an industry magazine ran a series of articles lamenting the demise of the specialty audio salon - and used many of the same arguments that this article did. Human behavior is human behavior; its not changing.
It's a fact I'm afraid, nostalgia aside, that forms of commerce do get replaced with 'better' things. The buggy whip manufacturers went out of business because people started driving cars. The local butcher (largely) went out of business because of Wal-Mart of Stu Leonard's. Borders closed in my town because they could no longer compete with Amazon. Likewise with Tower Records. On and on.
Absolutely support your local retailers. I'm just not sure, in the long run, that it's going to make much difference as I think the LFS is doomed. Maybe the best ones will survive, but most will not. When you can get better selection and price online, with increasingly expedited shipping (one day; same day form Amazon) the LFS really has no chance. For me, its a bit like buying CDs (yeah, I'm old) - used to buy 50:50, bricks versus clicks. Now, 100% clicks. I do still buy some fish from one LFS, and coral frags from another, but most now online. I buy all my equipment and supplies online.
Unless the LFS can demonstrate value (that other industries have not been able to do) in different ways, the future is dim I'm sorry to say.
Addendum: about 8 years ago I was looking to do something different with my career and I spent some time putting together a business plan (I'm both a financial and manufacturing guy) for an aquarium business. I really wanted to do it, but as hard as I tried I could not get the economics to work. Even if it's a passion, unless you're extraordinarily lucky, you ultimately have to do something else to pay the bills (like becoming a plumber
).
