Main Street's comeback story

One small New England town brought its Main Street back to life—one independent business at a time. We take a closer look at how community-driven growth created momentum.

 But first, check out this Sports Direct superstore that blends retail with workouts and recovery. Ice bath, anyone?

Taking a loss. Americans lost $15.7B in stolen packages last year. 

Endangered species. Retail CEOs are on shaky ground. Which job skills matter now? 

The “It” list. Which five retailers are being honored at the NRF Foundation Honors event?

Traditions in turmoil. Tariffs are hitting Indigenous designers hard.

Top dog. Which Texas chain scored highest among all retailers?

How a historic Main Street flourished with small businesses

Suncook Village, NH, one of New England’s best-preserved small mill towns, felt deserted a couple of decades ago. Now, it’s a thriving Main Street thanks to a variety of small businesses and the conversion of historic buildings into apartments. 

Native and transplant business owners detail how each new store that opened built momentum for the next one, and one retailer, who remembers her hometown when “there wasn’t a lot going on,” is now proud of its newfound prosperity and tourism status.

Why this matters: When natives of a small town invest in its future, they can also attract newcomers to open businesses there. An active chamber of commerce and historical society also never hurts. (Concord Monitor)

How the shutdown economy impacts Atlanta's and other cities' small businesses

For Atlanta small businesses that rely on federal workers as customers, the government shutdown, now nearing a month long, is taking its toll. One restaurant owner who saw 50-60 customers a day pre-shutdown now sees just 15 because 80% of her regulars are federal workers. 

Another local restaurant operator said they won’t be able to pay employees if the freeze continues. "We're small. We bank on paying our bills, getting paid, and paying our employees," he said.

Why this matters: What’s happening in Atlanta is a mirror for many other cities with numerous government contractors and workers. The shutdown may be a result of a Federal Government stalemate, but its impact hits hardest on local Main Streets. (CBS News)

Walmart is doubling down on Black Friday with two November sale events

Facebook resurrects its job listings feature to help SMBs hire local talent

Michigan tech co. touts “practical AI” platform to help small businesses 

Hiring spree: Dick’s Sporting Goods to hire 14,000 seasonal workers

Goldman Sachs’ small business summit takes Washington despite the shutdown

The art of retail advertising: high concepts, truth are key

He’s created campaigns for Macy’s, Kohl’s and Meijer, and Ellis Verdi, founder and president of advertising agency DeVito/Verdi, knows what makes a great retail ad. “In retailing, I would say smart and witty and staying close to the product are the best tools you have available to you,” he said. His advice for retailers heading into the holidays: do the unexpected. Retailers who perform best in Q4 are those who can communicate everyday value through their advertising.

“Our purpose is to, in some way, engage and sell, which means we have to give you some positive predisposition to want to go to us versus someone else or to buy our product instead of another product. To make that happen creatively, you might have to reveal some truths that hurt some people…But it’s the revealing of the truth that we’re looking for as a great piece of advertising." -Ellis Verdi, Founder and President, DeVito/Verdi

Why this matters: After 40 years, Verdi’s favorite ad is still his first account, New York off-pricer Daffy’s. Back then, retail advertising was about price and item, but he leaned into concept-driven campaigns that sparked reactions. Don’t dull the ad experience by trying to compete with Amazon, be original. (Retail Touchpoints)

What the Agentic AI future holds and how to prepare

Boston Consulting Group’s new report on Agentic AI advises retailers to invest in third-party agents, owned agents and foundational elements like data and AI platforms, measurement and visibility tracking, governance framework and talent/skills development for employees. We already use agentic AI for product discovery and in-chat purchases, but the next frontier includes autonomous agents that can purchase with little human interaction and third-party agents “talking” to brand agents to purchase with almost no customer input.  

Why this matters: Retailers must reorient their platforms to be easily discoverable by third-party agents, launch their own agents that preserve brand value in automated interactions and ensure their agents can seamlessly connect, communicate and operate in the e-commerce ecosystem. (Boston Consulting Group)

Thanks for reading this week's edition!

You can reach the newsletter team at theskupe@mynewsletter.co. We enjoy hearing from you. 

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The SKUpe is curated and written by Marcy Medina and edited by Bianca Prieto.