Last Thursday morning, I was asked to help my friends at Southern Pines Animal Shelter with a few maintenance issues they were having.
The barricade keeping big trucks out of the parking lot had been pulled down by a tall vehicle, pipes in the ground had burst causing water to need to be carried in buckets, the office roof was leaking, and some kennel gates needed attention.
I began the day as always eating downtown at Southbound Bagel with my wife, Jan.
After breakfast, I spent a couple of hours at the shelter then made a list of items for the needed repairs and headed back downtown.
My first stop was at Moore’s Lock and Key where I was prepared to buy an entire lock set because it appeared the gate key could not be duplicated.
The lady behind the counter took the lock and quickly made a copy of the key, saving me time and money.
When I offered to go to the car and get the extra 50 cents she waved me off with a smile.
“Forget about it,” she said.
It took less than 5 minutes.
Next stop was at United Fence for a post. They stopped their work, cut a post down to my dimensions and loaded it on my trailer.
When the employee could not break my hundred dollar bill, she said, “Just bring me the money later after you’ve broken the bill.”
Again. Less than 5 minutes.
Of course, I needed cement to set the new post so I popped into Economy Supply, a great local business that had previously (and graciously) donated lumber for a new shelter office roof.
A handwritten ticket was produced to the man in the loading yard and he loaded 160 pounds of quickcrete onto my trailer. I didn’t have to hunt around the parking lot for a buggy, nor did I have to stand in a long line.
In and out in less than 10 minutes thanks to their great customer service.
Next, over to McElhaney’s Plumbing for pipe fittings.
The guys behind the counter know me well enough to realize I know just enough about plumbing fixtures to ask for the wrong things, so they proceeded to lead me down the aisles and taught me the real names of the items and offered tips that saved me both time and money.
That stop took 10 minutes since an education was provided along with the purchase.
By then, it was lunchtime so I called in for two slices of pizza at Bianchi’s and met my dad for a quick lunch. You know what? Bianchi’s is like the old Cheers sitcom from the 80’s – a place where everyone knows your name.
Last stop was on Highway 49 at American Steel Line to pick up the last two pieces for the eaves on the new office roof. By the time I had paid my bill, the steel was already loaded onto my trailer.
What a great day.
Not only was I able to find all the materials I needed right downtown, but I also was able to deal with seven locally-owned businesses that were staffed by people who know their products and truly understand customer service.
Hattiesburg would not be Hattiesburg without the added value of these – and other – locally-owned businesses.
Retail economists have long predicted the demise of locally-owned small businesses as consumer purchases move to the big box stores and the internet.
Fortunately for us, these locally-owned independent businesses in Hattiesburg paid little attention to those predictions and instead turned 100% of the attention to serving their customers.
James Moore
Hattiesburg, Miss.
Moore, a former Petal alderman, is the proud owner of Moore’s Bike Shop, conveniently located at 1607 Hardy Street across from the Hattiesburg Zoo.
