Wal-Mart helping small businesses

Last month I had a post based on a New York Times article that about several small businesses benefiting from Wal-Mart.

Marshall Manson of Edelman sent me this article from the Detroit News that tells a similar story:

Independent specialty stores, boutiques and cafes are surviving -- and even thriving -- in the shadow of the retail giants through a mix of personal service, specialized skills and unique products. They fend off the mega-stores by catering to a specific clientele or carving out a niche that's small enough to keep the big retailers out.

A 2005 survey of small-business owners found that 52 percent of those already in business changed their tactics and either retained their market share or actually increased business when a Wal-Mart, Target, Kohl's or other "big box" retailer opened nearby, according to DollarDays International Inc. of Scottsdale, Ariz., an Internet-based wholesaler to small businesses.

Here's hoping "big box" opponent Joe Moore, a Chicago Alderman and recent Wal-Mart Watch Person of the Week, hears about Wal-Mart helping small businesses.

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