Retail Superstars: Inside the 25 Best Independent Stores in America

This is a business book? I opened Retail Superstars expecting to find the usual dry prose and even dryer statistics we have come to expect in business tomes. Wrong! This book is fun! George has defined a new retail category: destination shopping. Yes, I know, we have Beverly Hills, Rodeo drive and that ilk, but this is different. These stores are unique, interesting, stand-outs that are worth seeing because of the special ways they do things. And they are scattered widely across the USA (no international stores, at least not in this edition) just begging for a road trip. George has made the trip and he does a great job of describing what you'll find. Where can you get a bandage that looks like a strip of bacon? Well, that would be Archie McPhee, located in Seattle. They have even published a book of their own, "Who Would Buy This?" outlining the many unusual products that have passed through their store. The next time I am in Seattle, I may miss the Space Needle, but I am going to make time to see Archie McPhee. I am fortunate enough to live in Houston, one of two cities that boast two of George's Superstars (the other is NYC). George's descriptions of Gallery Furniture and Bering's Hardware are spot on. Gallery has changed furniture retailing in the Houston metro area. I remember Mattress Mack hawking his wares in the 80s "Buy it Today, We Deliver it Tonight." No one else was doing that. Now nearly every furniture retailer in Houston has to offer same or next day delivery to keep up. No more six-week waits for your couch. Gallery's other motto is "Saves you Money." In those early days they gave their customers the option of having their furniture delivered in an unmarked truck, so the neighbors would not know they were buying from (then, low class) Gallery. No more. Everyone's proud to be seen there; it's truly a remarkable store and, although George captures the essence for you, you really should see it for yourself. Bering's Hardware is quite a different story. When I moved to Houston in the 80s, I could walk to three local hardware stores. Then we got Home Depot and later, Lowe's. I sadly watched the three stores close, one by one. One day I walked into the one remaining store, hoping perhaps that, as the survivor, the store would distinguish itself by stocking higher quality merchandise than the nearby big boxes. No way. The stuff was actually lower grade than what I could find at Home Depot. I asked the manager why he didn't upgrade his stock; he mumbled something; it was clear he just didn't get it. Bering's got it. It is truly a destination store, where you can buy Baccarat crystal, gourmet coffee, great chocolate, and (oh, yes) screwdrivers, saws, and wood. If you are a visitor to Houston, you may not be able to take home a couch, but you will find something to take home at Bering's. Speaking of "taking home," take home a copy of Retail Superstars... and start planning your trip.

If you find the retail business interesting, this is the book you want to read. It's obvious that George Whalin is extremely knowledgeable about the retail business and his passion for the exceptional craftsmen of this art is apparent. Georges's writing style is from the heart and he connects instantly with the reader. Try it, you'll love it!

I love George's great descriptions of the one of a kind stores. He makes me want to do a road trip and go visit these unique places. The book is well written and very factual since George visited them all. The stores are a real inspiration for improving costomer service and new ways to attract customers. It is a fun read about very unusual stores acoss the country and includes the bits about the history of each place. Looking to open a new business? This book will give you lots of ideas on ways to make your retail business not only unique but very successful. Want to shop in some really oustanding stores? Check this book out! You are going to love it.

Just like the stores it profiles, Retail Superstars stands out from the crowd of business books. Instead of giving you a list of rules for what makes a retail store work, George Whalin wants to inspire you to do something different. Each business in the book has defined itself so clearly that it's impossible to forget them once you visit. They don't just inspire customers to spend money, they create passionate followers who make these stores an important part of their lives. Leave the homogeneous mall stores behind and visit Archie McPhee, Powell's Books and Jungle Jim's. Once you read the book, you may plan your next vacation around visiting them.

Initially, both James Cash Penney (The Golden Rule in Kemmerer, Wyoming, in 1902) and later Sam Walton (Wal-Mart Discount City in Rogers, Arkansas, in 1962) opened one retail store that eventually became a major chain. The same is true of others such as Home Depot, Staples, and Walgreens. Of course, not all chains have fared well, nor have most so-called "Mom and Pop" stores as well as franchisees of major chains. In this volume, George Whalin focuses his attention on "the 25 best independent stores in America." He asserts, and I agree, that reports of the demise of independent retailing are greatly overrated. "Wal-Mart's growth certainly contributed to the failure of weaker retailers, but the strong ones did just fine. And strong, well-run independent retail businesses continue to thrive today." During the course of the research that preceded the writing of this book, Whalin "discovered common characteristics and some startling differences. They all share an extraordinary passion for their businesses and an obsessive commitment to serving customers." One of the most surprising revelations emerged when Whalin asked owners and CEOs if their companies had been built based on a business plan or a set of guidelines. They "invariably answered no, their growth was guided by what customers wanted and expected from their stores, what the marketplace dictated, and how they could best serve their customers." In the National Retail Federation's most recent survey, the 100 largest U.S. retail companies operate about 148,000 individual stores. "In most cases, as the number of stores increases, customer service decreases. Unlike the stores profiled in this book, the largest retail chains generally do a poor job tailoring merchandise to a specific marketplace or to the people living in nearby communities." That is also true of the Moms and Pops who now operate franchises of 7-Eleven, Easy Go, and Dairy Queen. Whalin notes, "The stores profiled in this book bear no resemblance to the mom-and-pop stores of yesteryear. These are successful retail enterprises run by savvy merchants who know their businesses and how to grow and prosper in the most competitive retail climate in history." Here are a few brief excerpts from his narrative in which he suggests what can be learned from these independent retailers: Gump's (San Francisco), Zabar's (NYC), Celebration of Golf (Scottsdale), Bering's (Houston), and Toy House & Baby Too (Jackson, MI). "The best business strategy for specialty retailers has always been one that produces legions of delighted customers who love and enjoy everything they buy so much that they can't wait to visit the store again and again. In this regard, Gump's excels and enjoys a sterling reputation with well-heeled San Franciscans and tourists alike who appreciate top-quality, out-of- the-ordinary giftware, jewelry, and home goods. Gump's nurtures these relationships over the long term with a good number of customers who have remained lo