Good morning friends,

I shared this photo once before, during the pandemic.

It’s my dad’s children's clothing store in Torrington, Connecticut.

Around the corner on Main Street, my grandmother, aunt and uncle ran Kay’s Curtain Shop. An hour away, in another small town, another uncle owned a woman’s clothing store.

My brothers, sisters and I spent Saturdays and vacations working in those various stores. It’s all the adults in our lives seemed to talk about over dinner. I was captivated by those conversations, their commitment to customer service and how hard they worked and cared, not just about their shops but about their community.

Their stores closed decades ago. That generation has passed on.

But retail is in my DNA.

And it’s heartbreaking to watch what’s happened over the decades to the small downtowns and the mom-and-pop shops we’ve lost.

Competing with the internet and big box stores was hard enough. Supply chain and worker shortages created their own challenges. So has inflation, soaring energy prices and insurance rates.

Now there’s a whole new round of worries: Financial markets, recession risks, tight capital, threats of tariffs, immigration crackdowns and whatever new unsettling idea emerges any minute now.

This week, we learned that E.A. Davis, a small clothing and home décor department store in Wellesley’s Church Square that always reminded me of the kind of business my family owned, closed its doors for good.  

They’d been in business since 1904.

E.A. Davis is just the latest. We’ve all lost favorites. Hardworking folks lost their livelihoods.  Empty storefronts have doubled in Cambridge.  Consumer confidence is at a 2½-year low.  Many merchants are beyond worried.

Of course, retail isn’t the only business sector struggling, or searching for certainty in these uncertain times.

But retail shops play a unique role in shaping the vibrancy and character of our suburban downtowns and village centers.

Small shops make our communities desirable places for companies to locate and for us to live and work.

They need our collective support.

So, we have an announcement

This morning we’re launching a pilot program that emerged from a conversation with our board of directors last month.

Starting today, all independently owned, single-location brick-and-mortar retailers in Newton, Needham, Watertown, and Wellesley can join our chamber for free.

Yes, free.

We’re calling it our Small Shops program.

Eligible retailers will receive free basic chamber membership, granting our small shop owners access to essential networking, advocacy, business resources and marketing opportunities.

Our goal is to create a robust directory of virtually all the retailers in our footprint. We’ll also urge the public (including anyone seeking alternatives to the Amazons and Targets of the world right now): Don’t just shop small once a year on Small Business Saturday. Do it every day.

Our Small Shops program will also provide business owners with access to their fellow merchants, webinars and other resources to help navigate this uncertain future. Most importantly, we aim to listen to our local merchants to understand how, collectively, our communities can support them.

But wait, doesn’t the chamber depend on dues?

I must admit this is something of a risk for us. 

About half of our annual revenue comes from your membership dues. Retail is a small slice of that. But like everyone else, our costs are up. And we’re as uncertain about the economy as many of you are.

However, we firmly believe that this sector requires our support and the support of our communities, not just for their sake, but for the sake of the broader community.  

Fortunately, several of our board members and former directors have stepped up to underwrite our expected lost revenue and seed our Support Local marketing efforts. 

We’re grateful to Insource Services Inc., NBC10 Boston, The Village Bank, The Street at Chestnut Hill, Piccadilly Square - Newton and Tanowitz Law Office for covering our anticipated lost dues revenue and allowing us to launch this initiative.

We’d appreciate your financial support too. Large or small, your investment as a Small Shops underwriter will fuel our stepped-up Support Local advocacy.

We’re not pretending that this effort alone will be enough to help our small shops thrive, or even survive.  It’s hard out there.

We also know that many business sectors are worried right now. We’re committed to advocating for them too. We’re always looking for your ideas.

However, at a time when many of us may be feeling powerless, we need to start somewhere. Today we’re starting with our small shops.

One last thing...

Here’s a photo of my dad that I haven’t shared before. 

He’s the guy “pouring” clam broth at a Torrington Chamber of Commerce event.  He passed away long before I entered the world of chambers. But I suppose it's not just retailing that’s in my DNA.  

It’s my privilege to work with our businesses and nonprofits in support of our communities’ economic and cultural vitality.  It’s a privilege to work with you.  We have a lot of work to do.

And that’s what you need to know for today.  Our regular newsletter returns next week.

I value your feedback.

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

P.S. Spring Seasonings: A Taste of our Towns is 17 days away. Maybe I’ll pour you some clam broth.