Trickling down to Main Street
The owners of small businesses have the same concern many of us do -- Is my money safe? But they have the added worry that all of the bad financial news will discourage shopping. Rachel Dornhelm reports.
Shops on main street (iStockphoto)
More on The Economy, Entrepreneurship, Retail, America's Financial Crisis
TEXT OF STORY
Scott Jagow: Frankly, I'm tired of talking about Wall Street. You're probably tired of hearing about it. So, let's talk about Main Street for a minute. Here's my question: What does this financial mess mean for the guy who runs the hardware store or the woman who owns the local bakery? Here's Rachel Dornhelm.
Rachel Dornhelm: The trouble at the top of the U.S. financial sector has small businesses worried. Todd McCracken is president of the National Small Business Association. He says business owners are concerned about whether their money is safe and whether they'll lose customers spooked by the turmoil.
Todd McCracken: Small businesses will take it on the chin.
These worries are already playing out at Maribel, a used clothing store in Oakland, California. Owner Ann Hartford says sales have been slower since the latest Wall Street woes hit the headlines.
Ann Hartford: I feel like even if people aren't indebted into the credit world, they read things like that and it slows them down a bit.
Hartford all the turbulent news makes her feel better about her recent decision to move her shop's money.
Hartford: I went from a smaller bank to a much larger bank. I felt like I had to do it business wise. They can offer me a lot more protection.
National Small Business Association president McCracken says members worry the current upheaval isn't likely ease on the ongoing credit crunch any time soon.
I'm Rachel Dornhelm for Marketplace.
Comments
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From New York, NY, 09/18/2008
Actually, I think I do understand the current financial crisis. I think there are many people who thought that CMOs, CDOs, and other complex financial instruments were a bad idea. But those people, like me, tend to get sacked.
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