Experience keeps shoppers coming back to independent stores
Shopping experience and a focus on customer service keep consumers coming back to independent retail stores, despite competition from national retailers. Ellen Ward, co-owner of Georgia-based bookstore FoxTale Book Shoppe, said her store’s sales have grown between 15% and 25% annually since its opening in 2007, even though it is located near a Barnes & Noble. “We aren’t so much selling the book as we are selling the experience,” she said.