The Business Quest - March 21, 2013

"First say to yourself what you would be: then do what you have to do." - Epictetus

At FL Crooks & Co, we want to be a place where you can take part in that grand adventure of shopping. We want to provide you with an element of unpredictability as well as delightful surprise when you walk through our doors. We want to educate and inform you. We want to entertain you and make you smile. We want to inspire you and help you realize your dreams. We want to help you become more energized and turn up the vibration of your life! How can we do this?

In a recent issue of Men's Wearhouse, Danny Paul discusses seven critical traits many successful retailers possess. Paul is the founder of Retail Communities and is a retail consulting specialist.

Let's apply these traits to the actual FL Crooks & Co retail clothing establishment:

1). Have Passion.

Passion helps to motivate us. Take the passion challenge. Step inside our store and see if the styles and colors of the emerging season help you leave the winter doldrums far behind. Along with the inventory, the staff will serve you with sincerity and a genuine willingness to help.

2). Be a good decision maker.

Fashion retail seems to be changing ever faster. We do our best to be decisive and sift through the myriad of fashion options available today.

3). Communicate the vision of the business.

We want to provide you with substance and style at the best price. That simple.

4). Be a good teacher.

To be a good teacher requires good listening skills. We make it a priority to listen to what you have to say.

5). Don't assume you see your business with clarity.

Again, we need and value your input. We are open to suggestions to how we can improve and grow better and stonger.

6). A good retailer must possess sound character.

Honesty is paramount. We want to earn your loyalty through our character and integrity.

7). Be a risk taker.

We are always trying new avenues - in clothing lines, in manners of presentation, and in methods of communication.

Joseph Epstein wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal entitled "In Praise of Shopkeepers". He comments on the challenges and worth of a shopkeeper:

"England is a nation of shopkeepers," remarked Napoleon, unconsciously quoting Adam Smith and suggesting that they, the English, as mere shopkeepers, were unfit to fight the French. Well, we know how the shopkeepers fared at a place called Waterloo. No great surprise, really. Considerable courage and perseverance are required to start and keep a good shop running."

Epstein goes on to point out that:

"Running a good shop is a service to one's community. A nation of shopkeepers, far from being the put-down Napoleon thought, sounds more and more like an ideal to which a healthy country ought to aspire."

We at FL Crooks & Co aspire to be a useful and helpful business while striving to provide the greatest level of service and product possible. We want to provide our community with a vibrant business to meet the desires and dreams of our valued customers, and we will work hard to bring it to pass. We want to make our customers love us as much as we love you.