![]() ![]() However, the more stores that a company opens, and the more unique each lo-cation is, the more complex it is to execute that approach,” she said. “Whole Foods has a value around individual stores resonating with local communities. That can work, too, but a location loses that local appeal and illustrates that, at some point, there was a divergence from the original idea.”įridays’ approach reminds Carol Spieckerman, founder of the Bentonville, Ark.-based retail strategy firm Spieckerman Retail, of Whole Foods, which has area locations in Downtown Columbia and in Annapolis Towne Centre. You may still find a broken oar in your nearby location that means something to the locals instead of six broken oars someone at corporate bought on Amazon. “I always think in terms of TGI Fridays (which has several area locations) and how all of the art in the earlier locations represented something to someone,” he said, “but then Fridays turned into a business. On the other hand, there are still plenty of companies that have succeeded with what Shallal and others see as the “cookie cutter” approach. At 10,000 square feet with special rooms, “It will be our largest location and will offer more varied programming, with more live music, and social and business events.” “That store is more of an experiment, really,” he said. Shallal also knows that different stores in different markets have different requirements, especially in a diverse market like Columbia. “It isn’t like we just have a poet show up and start reading,” he said. The company hires from non-traditional restaurant sources, which include an art curator, a poetry director and a director for its documentary film series. “It’s the programming we offer for the authors and writers we present, addressing current issues and politics, the poetry we offer, the books that we sell,” he said, adding that the company has its own music channel on a streaming service that his daughter programs “to make sure it’s eclectic.” How does Busboys & Poets, which started in 2005, do it? “We’re constantly reconstituting ourselves to come up with more effective ways to maintain that vibe,” Shallal said. You have to have that foundation first and we try to create that atmosphere with everything we do.” “We’ve been methodical about doing so, because you can end up losing the elements that made it successful. Shallal said that he’s shied away from rapidly expanding for that reason. While that kind of growth this admirable in the risky restaurant market, it also can lead to a new hurdle: keeping that groovy vibe that led to the initial success as the company expands. That’s noteworthy – because the eighth and ninth locations of Washington, D.C.-based restaurant and cultural melting pot are slated to open in Maryland this year with the other in Baltimore’s Charles Village. “I really only planned operating a sole location. “I never really planned for expansion,” said Shallal. ![]() As the new Busboys & Poets rises in the Merriweather District of Downtown Columbia, founder and CEO Andy Shallal offered a surprising admission.
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