Small Business in Bowling Green Ohio
Author: Kara Campbell-Curl | Filed under: Local stories, Student Contributor, UncategorizedWalking through downtown Bowling Green Ohio is like walking through any smaller city. The streets lined with small restaurants and businesses of different varieties. Some may be national chains while others are locally based all playing an important role in the economy.
The Flower Basket on Main Street of downtown Bowling Green Ohio. Photo taken by Kara Campbell-Curl
According to the 2010 Census small business isn’t defined as a separate group but more so according to the amount of employees a business has employed. In addition the United States Small Business Administration says that small business represents 99.7 percent of all employers, and has generated 64 percent of net new jobs over the past 15 years.
With over 35 years of experience as a florist, Maryann Sandusky-Gibson, owner of The Flower Basket, knows a thing or two. Her shop on Main Street has been thriving in downtown Bowling Green, Ohio, since 1984. “This is what I love doing. I can truly say I love my job,” Gibson said.
With the recent recession that America just experienced, a lot of small businesses have been overcome by the economy. However, many don’t know that small business keeps the American economy going. According to the Small Business Administration, the most helpful thing to do to keep a business running is come up with a sales plan. This will help focus the businesses attention on selling or pushing certain products. Small business owners also need a basic plan for when difficult times may come about which would include funding, savings, insurance etc.
“Our sales plans are usually based around the seasons. We have certain products that we drive over others based on things like time of year, or holiday,” Gibson said.
According to the National Bureau of Economic Research the recession has technically been over since June of 2009. This doesn’t mean that the economy automatically bounced back to normal operation, but this did mark the beginning of recovery.
According to an article from the CBJ (Corridor Business Journal) which quoted Mr. Kohl a retired professor of small business management and entrepreneurship at Virginia Tech University “As a small business owner, you’ve got to understand the cycles and manage through those cycles.”
By cycles, he means that there will be times when business will be slower than others. Either customers aren’t as interested in the businesses products or in recent cases the latest recession.
“We have enough loyal customers that there was never a time when I questioned business. The Flower Basket will be around for as long as the economy allows,” Gibson said.
No matter what the business is servicing there is always a sense of closeness that the customers seem to feel when they shop at smaller businesses.
Bowling Green State University junior Victoria Wills shops at The Flower Basket frequently. “I feel the products are of more quality from stores like this. More love and hard work is put into what they sell,” Willis said.
Tags: Bowling Green Ohio, Downtown, small business
