“A couple of customers didn’t quite have the funds to do a custom piece for themselves,” says Pua Uyesugi, Georgine’s daughter-in-law. “My husband, Steve, asked them, ‘What if we become your manufacturer?’ Their eyes lit up! The idea evolved from there. Now, customers are bringing in their concepts or designs of jewelry pieces. Steve and my father-in-law, Allan, discuss design, materials, price points, etc., and then we work closely with our manufacturers, who put the pieces together.”
Although the concept is new and the final results are not yet in, the family feels that the program is already a success because it shows their customers that the Uyesugis are listening.

Costco member Robert Spector is the author of The Mom & Pop Store, which includes stories of several Costco member businesses (Walker & Company,
2009; available at
www.robertspector.com).
Do you have a special
story of a mom-and-
pop store? Send it to
robert@robertspector.com.

Neighborhood shop owners connect to their communities and customers - By Robert Spector

CONNECTING TO YOUR community and your customers has always been essential to the success of small businesses, particularly in challenging economic times.
The shopkeepers featured in my new book, The Mom & Pop Store, told me many stories of how they survive and thrive by maintaining a bond with their patrons and neighbors. Here are three simple ideas that can be applied to every small businesses.

Listen to your customers.

Over three generations, the Uyesugi family, Costco members who own the AA Jewel Box jewelry store in Tustin, California, have looked at their patrons “not as customers, but as family,” says Georgine Uyesugi. Searching for fresh ideas to generate business, they asked their customers for suggestions.