Local retailers hold their ground against national chains

When national chains and big-box stores move into a growing market like Huntsville, independent retailers often find themselves competing for the same customers with a fraction of the marketing budget.

But several local business owners say the answer was never to compete on price or scale. Instead, they leaned into what a national brand cannot easily copy: local roots, personal relationships and products with character.

Sherry Atley has co-owned Alabama Goods with Beth Staula for 19 years. The store sells products made entirely by Alabama crafters, a fact Atley said sets the business apart from anything a national chain could stock.

“We sell products that are crafted in Alabama, so it would be challenging for a national competitor to match that,” Atley said. “They just tend to have a lot of charm and Alabama character built in them, and that really sets us apart.”

About 92% of the makers whose work is sold at Alabama Goods do not sell through big-box or major online retailers, according to the store. Atley said that for many of those crafters, Alabama Goods is their only outlet outside of craft fairs and art shows.

“We help them to stay in business and to continue to do what they love to do,” she said.

The business has grown considerably since it launched as a website and corporate gifting operation. Alabama Goods opened its first store in Homewood, then expanded that location, then opened in Huntsville and, two years ago, in Hoover. Its corporate gifting division now operates out of a dedicated building of more than 6,000 square feet.

Customer service is another differentiator Atley points to. The store has won awards for it, she said, and that focus extends to how easy the company makes it for other businesses to work with it on corporate gifts.

Across town, Loring & Co. has spent three decades building the kind of relationships Trent Thomas says a big-box store simply cannot replicate.

The jewelry store opened in 1996, founded by Rick and Eleanor Loring. Thomas and his wife, Caitlin Thomas, took over ownership in 2020. Loring & Co. is celebrating its 30th year in business.

“Rather than trying to match them on every front, we doubled down on what we do best: offering the best brands in the industry, building genuine relationships and being deeply involved in the community,” Thomas said of the national chains that have expanded into Huntsville over the years.

Some of the store’s staff members have worked at Loring & Co. for more than 25 years, Thomas said, long enough to remember a regular customer’s preferences without being told.

“Being greeted by a familiar face when you arrive is always comforting,” he said. “Our staff knowing what your significant other likes and dislikes gives a big advantage in our ability to deliver a gift they will truly love.”

Thomas said the store’s roots in the community trace back to its founders. Rick Loring served as president of the Huntsville Botanical Garden and later as CEO of the Huntsville Museum of Art, relationships Thomas said helped position the store as part of some of its customers’ most important milestones.

“The more we can help others achieve success, the healthier our business will be,” Thomas said. “This is something the ‘big box’ companies will never be able to compete with.”

On pricing, Thomas said Loring & Co. does not try to undercut national competitors. Because the jewelry it sells is priced by the designer, the same piece costs roughly the same no matter where a customer buys it, he said, which removes the guesswork for shoppers.

Thomas said he has watched multiple generations of the same family come through the store’s doors, from engagement rings to gifts marking the birth of their own children.

“Invest in your community,” Thomas said, offering advice to other independent retailers. “The more you help others achieve success, the stronger your own business becomes.”

Both business owners said growth in Huntsville has brought more competition, but also more opportunity. As long as they stay rooted in what makes them different, they said, they expect to keep growing alongside the city.