Dundalk Businesses Set Goals for 2011

Last week we took a look at 2010, the business year that was. As my dad has always told me, you are only as good as your last success, so business owners should have been setting their sights for the 2011 business year long before the New Year's Eve fireworks in Inner Harbor.

I wanted to know what Dundalk business owners have set as goals for 2011—and I qualified it so they couldn’t say “make more money.” More important than the goals, I wanted to know what sort of strategies they’re implementing for drawing in new business and keeping their current customers happy.

Last week, Bill Mohler of Walts Cards told me the store had started a family game night as a way of “getting back to basics."

They’d set up a Monday game night so families could come in and meet up with others looking to learn new games – for free – as well as share some snacks and laughs. Walts sees it as a way that families can get out and have a fun night without spending a fortune. Business-wise that will translate into customers who find games in the store they like and want to continue to play at home.

It’s a good marketing tool, and a good way to get several generations involved, building a business base for years to come.

Getting back to basics was a common theme for local business owners looking to make 2011 a great year. Poplar Place Hardware looks to the most basic idea for 2011: listen to the customer and give him what he wants.

According to manager Brandon Akins, the store is adding new products based on what they hear from the customers. Often, Poplar tends to be a last resort for shoppers, and that’s a shame, he said.

“They go to the larger stores, can’t find what they’re looking for, and come to us…and we have it," Akins said.

That, he said, is because the owner and managers listen to what customers are saying, then provide that good. “Customers respond really well to us,” Akins explained.

It’s more than just the availability of goods, however. Personal service is something that small, specialty shops tend to excel at. Those hired in small, specialty stores are hired for a reason, so there’s a level of knowledge many larger stores can’t match. There’s no room for just keeping warm bodies around. Each person in the shop can—and does—help a customer.

“Over the years we’ve had so many big hardware stores crop up, and people would tell us we would never make it, but we did it,” Akins said.

At the Poplar Inn on Wise Avenue, manager Michael Pagliaro is looking to draw in the new faces through specials. In these days when everyone wants a deal (Did that ever go out of style?), Poplar features specials almost every night of the week.

Kitchen manager Leo (Kelly) Sapp believes his Thursday-night burger special, a one-pound burger, all Angus beef, with French fries for 9.99 will bring customers in, and the atmosphere will make them stay. On Tuesday, look for $1 Tacos, said Sapp.

To capture a local audience, Poplar has even localized their music, according to Pagliaro. The bands the Poplar Inn brings in include familiar, local faces, such as Rob Fahey & the Pieces. To check the musical line up, go to the Poplar Inn website. You can also check out the specials there.

Steve Goff, owner of The Seasoned Mariner on Wise Avenue, is looking to capture a segment of the local Dundalk audience he fells has been overlooked over the years.

“No one around here does sushi or wine dinners,” Goff said, adding that the general consensus is that Dundalk locals just aren’t interested in that sort of fare. Goff knows they’re wrong, and in 2011 he means to prove it.

“Our sushi night (the first Sunday of every month) is standing-room only right now,” Goff said. The wine dinners continue his upscale dining theme on the second Tuesday of every month. For that dinner, Goff  brings in an expert from a particular wine region to host a wine tasting along with a four-course dinner that pairs with the featured wine.

Goff explained that his 2011 business strategy is all about quality. He brought in a “phenomenal chef,” set the atmosphere in the restaurant to include a granite bar and comfortable seating, as opposed to typical barstools, and included waterfalls for a soothing experience.

Although the year is young, Goff said he’s received good feedback on his choices. “I get a lot of response from the local community saying ‘thank you for putting in something different.’”

As Goff sees it, Dundalk is not all about the corner bar anymore; there is room for upscale dining. With The Seasoned Mariner, he saw a trend and has set out to fill it, and he’s staying the course instead of trying gimmicks.

In business, it’s all about giving the customer what he wants, providing good service and spotting trends. What are you doing to make 2001 your best business year ever?