Fighting the Grin Reaper (Page 1 of 5)

A traveler passing through Knoxville amid the sea of stores, signs, and billboards on Kingston Pike would be hard-pressed to distinguish the city from any other interstate exit across the United States.

The same traveler wouldn’t be helped at all by picking up a recent copy of the daily newspaper’s poll “East Tennessee’s Best”. The list reads like a Who’s Who of national chains—Best Bakery: Panera Bread; Best Breakfast: Cracker Barrel; Best Coffee: Starbucks; Best Bookstore: Borders; Best Home Improvement Store: Lowe’s. Guess these people never heard of a Rita’s Bakery, Magpie’s, Pete’s, Golden Roast, or McKay.

Nationwide, chain stores, and restaurants have increasingly taken business from local mom-and-pop stores while also taking over the landscape of once-unique communities. Bustling downtowns of varied storefronts and eccentric shopkeepers have been replaced with a suburban graveyard of big-box stores identifiable by their single-story structure built on football field-sized acreage that attracts anonymous consumers whose SUVs crowd the massive asphalt parking lots.  

Knoxville is a leader in embracing the phenomenon. A study by activist coalition Smart Growth America ranked Knoxville eighth in the nation for urban sprawl, a natural result of lax city planning and rampant development that favors strip malls, chain stores, and industrial parks. The same group found that Knoxville led the nation in low-density housing, with subdivisions typically separated by many miles and accessible only by automobile, which contributes to traffic congestion, pollution, and global warming.

A 1999 USA Today sprawl index ranked Knoxville sixth among metropolitan areas of its size, joining Nashville (number one in its category) and Memphis (number eight).

In addition to gobbling up real estate, the biggest chains are also taking over the majority of the market share. Walgreens, CVS, and Rite Aid account for 40 percent of prescription drug sales; Barnes & Noble and Borders sell one-fifth of all books in the U.S.; and half of the groceries sold nationally come from the top five grocers—Wal-Mart, Kroger, Albertson’s, Safeway, and Ahold.

While these mega-stores have grown exponentially, independent businesses across the country have become an endangered species. One-third of independent music stores have closed since 1998. In the last 15 years, about 5,000 independent hardware stores have shut their doors. Independent grocers now capture just 17 percent of the market, and there are fewer than 100 independent grocery wholesalers.

Despite this bleak climate, several independent Knoxville businesses have managed to survive by providing customers what chains cannot: a sense of regional pride and commitment to the community with sincere and knowledgeable customer service, a friendly face that might actually know your name, and acts of social responsibility that signal a true investment in the neighborhood.

A recent visit to Roy and Gerry Garnett’s Colonial Hardware store at 6204 Chapman Highway revealed a unique community gathering spot among the wide assortment of tools, flashlights, tape measures, spray paint, pipes, reading glasses, pumpkins, fishing lures, garden supplies, and who knows what else stocked from floor to ceiling.

“Come on in, I’ll be with you in just a minute, ” Roy called out amid a flurry of activity at the counter. Several men were seated in the corner on two facing benches, drinking coffee, laughing, and playing Monday-morning quarterback following that weekend’s UT-Alabama game. A Chihuahua walked over to sniff this reporter’s leg. “Oh, that’s Cocoa. He won’t bite,” a passer-by said. Ted Beightol, a volunteer at the store, greeted an incoming customer like a family physician. “How’s your wife doing? I know she’s been dealing with those backaches,” he said.

The Garnetts said this kind of welcoming atmosphere and the loyal customers it cultivates have kept the store afloat throughout its 28-year history.

“We can offer a personal service that big-box stores can’t offer—over the years, we’ve learned these people’s names, and we try to make it comfortable for people to come in and see a recognizable face, a familiar person to provide help,” Roy said. Gerry added, “We’ve actually formed a lot of friendships, and with Lowe’s and Home Depot coming in, it’s normal for them to cut into your profits, but we’ve really had some people that have stuck with us and customers that haven’t left us.”