by Concordia College students in History 112HU, Fall 2016
The Women of Main Street
Throughout the United States, small towns have yielded history beyond measure that has stood the test of time. Some towns have shown how aspects of society have changed throughout the years, and others have stood the test of time and continued to simply preserve history. One town that has seen both sides of this equation is Melrose, Minnesota. It is a small town of about 3200 people that lies directly between Alexandria and St. Cloud, Minnesota. While looking at the two photographs, it is easy to see where the history lies. Though recent pictures show that Melrose is a town that works to preserve its history, evidence of progressive change is portrayed in the business that line the streets.
While some small towns have worked to keep their historical parts preserved as a way to keep the history alive, some modernization is inevitable. Melrose is a great example of that. Most of the main street in town is the original buildings that were built when the city was built. Over the years, the buildings have stood the test of time. Minor changes have occurred to the outside of the shops that fill these buildings, but the structures are the same. The juxtapose images represent this well. Looking at the main structures of the buildings, it is clear that the buildings themselves have been unchanged. However, as stores have changed hands, the outsides have been altered. Canopies and other decorations have changed the outward appearance of the shops. The types of stores have also changed. What once was grocery stores, meat shops, a dry goods store, and barber shops has turned into a coffee shop, a boutique, a diner, a hair salon, an insurance office, and a dollar store. Another aspect that is different than it was in the late 1940’s are the types of store owners. While many owners in the late 1940s were dominantly male, most of the store owners now are female.The coffee shop, the botiquec the dinerc and the insurance office are all owned by women. Other stores further down the street, such as a nutrition shop, a bakery, and another insurance office, are all also run by women. What makes this unique is that the stores are successful. They have been on the main street for years. This is contrary to what statistics show. Sharon Bird, Stephen Sapp, and Motoko Lee describe this well in their article about the sex gap in businesses. “Women, in fact, are one of the fastest-growing groups of small business owners today. Women business owners, however, remain far less financially successful than men owners.”[1] While many women are taking action, and opening up their own businesses, they are not as successful as men who own the same businesses as them. This may be a true statistic, but the women owners in Melrose have shown that they too can be successful. The shops that exist on Main Street rarely change hands, and many times the previous owners were also female or a married couple. So why are other women struggling against their male competition?
There are a few reasons accredited to why men are more successful at running a small business. The first is the social networks that both women and men have. While women tend to have more “social” networks, men have more “business” networks. Men have social networks that show them how business works, and have connections to help propel their business forward. Women, however, have networks that make them more approachable. They make connections with locals, and look at how personable the business is; not how well it is doing financially. Bird, Sapp, and Lee again describe the networks by saying: “Women’s networks focus more on family activities and are more local, whereas men’s focus more on business and associated clubs and organizations, and are less local.”[2] While the networks that women form are focused more on individuals, and the community surrounding them, men lean more toward financial networks, that help them become more connected outside the community. This is ultimately what helps them run businesses that do so well.`This is evident in the shops in Melrose. Many of the bigger corporations that are focused on business are run by men. The smaller shops that attract the locals, and have more of a "homey" feeling are run by women. While the local networks are good for small businesses, if expansion is in the future, a local network will not help this process happen.
Another reason that men seem to do better in business is access and use of credit. Loans are an important part of owning and business, and the differences in sex can have an effect on how likely it is that a loan will be given. Bird, Sapp, and Lee's research showed that, “Use of credit and access to credit also help determine sex differences in small business success. These differences may be caused in part by women’s lack of experience in obtaining loans.”[3] Melrose has not seen a problem in this area. The business that are on main street have had no problem opening up their shop and being able to afford it. While the gap in the amount of loans women have taken out versus men has closed throughout the years, it is still important to look at this as a guide to understanding the history of small town shops.
Small businesses are what drives many small towns across the country. They have been successful and helped keep the towns up and running. There are major variables that affect how successful a small business may be. They are human capital, family situation, personal characteristics of the owner, and features of the business.[4] Human capital means that the business has been set up for success. The owners have the skills necessary to run the stores, and will be able to keep the store alive. Family situation means the owner of the store has support in their endeavors of running their own business. With family there, it will help the owners when times of trouble occur. Personal characteristics refer to whether or not the owner has the personality that will attract customers and help keep business. And finally, features of the business. Not only must the owner be fully prepared to run the company, but they must make sure that what they are selling attracts customers, and that the business is one that is welcoming. Many of the shops on Main Street are so successful because they have these aspects in their shops. Shops come to Main Street and do not leave for decades. This is because they make sure that all the major variables are part of the business, and this ensures their success.
These variables show that sometimes gender plays a smaller role in the success of a small business. Throughout history, the success gap between men and women has slowly closed. This is evident in the amount of women that have opened up their own businesses. This is especially evident in Melrose. Most of the shops on Main Street, are owned and run by women. They have their family involved in the running of the stores, and are very successful. While shops and owners may have varied greatly over time, it is this variation that helps show the history and the culture of the town in a new light.
[1]Bird, Sharon R., Sapp, Stephen G., Lee, Motoko Y., "Small Business Success in Rural Communities: Explaining the Sex Gap." Rural Sociology 66, no. 4 (2001): 507-531. Accessed December 2016.
[2]Bird, Sharon R., Sapp, Stephen G., Lee, Motoko Y., "Small Business Success in Rural Communities: Explaining the Sex Gap." Rural Sociology 66, no. 4 (2001): 507-531. Accessed December 2016.
[3]Bird, Sharon R., Sapp, Stephen G., Lee, Motoko Y., "Small Business Success in Rural Communities: Explaining the Sex Gap." Rural Sociology 66, no. 4 (2001): 507-531. Accessed December 2016.
[4] Loscocco, Karyn A., et al. "Gender and Small Business Success: An Inquiry into Women's Relative Disadvantage." Social Forces 70, no. 1 (September 1991): 65-87. Accessed December 2016.