Greater Harrisburg's Community Magazine

Mind Your Businesses: A few things I’ve learned about small business in Harrisburg

Illustration by Rich Hauck.

Harrisburg is a city of independent small businesses.

And that’s a good thing—and a bad thing.

It’s good because local people, with ties to the community, own most of the small businesses, as opposed to the same old chains offering the same old things. And it’s bad because it’s very hard to run a business successfully.

In recent months, Harrisburg small businesses have been in the news a lot—openings, closings, relocations and one very public implosion.

Since this is TheBurg’s annual “shop local” issue, I thought I’d share with readers a few things I’ve learned over the years as I’ve covered small businesses, spoken at length with their owners and co-owned one myself (this very publication).

Here are five things that you should keep in mind the next time you step into a Harrisburg shop, restaurant or other small business.

  1. They’re fragile.

Most small businesses operate on a shoestring, some just weeks or months away from folding. Harrisburg is an especially tough place to succeed in business. The economy is thin, the customer base is relatively small, and a lot of residents don’t have a lot of disposable income. In recent years, it’s become even harder, as businesses have had to survive outrageous downtown parking rates and the loss of office workers due to the pandemic and work-from-home trend. Add inflation and a depleted workforce into this toxic mix, and I’m amazed we haven’t seen more failures. Even in the best of times, small business success is rare, and this is definitely not the best of times.

  1. Looks can be deceiving.

Stroll into a Harrisburg business, and you may think—hey, this place looks great! The décor is lovely, the shelves are stocked, and the staff is friendly and helpful. The truth, though, may be another story entirely. Usually, the customer doesn’t see the turmoil just beneath the surface—all the work, the headaches, the constant worry about money. Don’t equate success with appearance. In fact, in Harrisburg, you should assume that a small business is struggling unless told otherwise.

  1. Often, the owners are barely making it.

Most small business owners don’t expect to get rich. However, they would like to, at least, get by—doing something they love for a livable wage. Frequently, that’s not what happens. In order to survive, they tend to pay themselves last after all other expenses, taking whatever’s left, which may not be much. I speak from experience. I co-founded TheBurg in 2008 and didn’t draw my first regular pay until 2013. Many startup owners quickly find themselves back in the 9-to-5 because they can’t support themselves, much less their families, on what they earn from their small businesses.

  1. Successful owners are Renaissance people.

Most small business owners do not set out to be business people. They’re chefs and bakers and craftspeople and, well, journalists. They don’t have MBAs from Wharton, but they do have a skill or product that they want to share with the world. So, when they start, they typically know little about the business side of their fledgling enterprise: finances, personnel, inventory, taxes, etc. Successful owners quickly realize that—as much as they like making cakes or selling clothes—operational capability and day-to-day execution are just as important as a quality product (maybe more so). The next time you walk into a Harrisburg small business, view it in a new light. Look at the owner as someone who not only cooks a tasty meal or makes great coffee, but who is smart, organized and dedicated enough to do something that’s hard as hell—running a small business successfully.

  1. They need you!

Listening to a podcast recently, I heard it said that small businesses are the glue of a community. I agree. Unfortunately, this podcast also said that many are hurting, as they are here. So, this is a plea to support your local, independently owned businesses. Harrisburg is full of such places—terrific restaurants, coffee shops and stores, each offering unique products you won’t find in suburban chains. Small businesses also need the support of their government. In Harrisburg, this includes the commonwealth, which could help greatly by sending its people back to the office. It also means our local government, which should do everything in its power to encourage high-density residential development in the city’s endless acres of empty lots. Recently, I asked a café owner what she needed most to succeed. Her response: “Customers!”

Harrisburg’s small business owners are a rare breed. They’re willing to endure untold hardships, which, over the past few years, have only grown worse. Not all have made it. In fact, plenty haven’t. But those that have survived deserve our patronage, our loyalty and our admiration. They are the bedrock of this community.

Lawrance Binda is the co-publisher/editor-in-chief of TheBurg.

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