Downturn Has Upside, Small-Business Owners Find

Business
By Bill Walsh
Source: Fauquier Times-Democrat
TUESDAY, APRIL 7 2009

Downturn Has Upside, Small-Business Owners Find

By Bill Walsh

Times-Democrat Staff Writer

As many other small-business owners have done, Dori and Carter Loar recently added a new line to the long list of services they offer.

Now, in addition to phoning Paramount Carpet Cleaning for floors, furniture, upholstery and tile and grout cleaning, in addition to calling the Loars for water damage and mold remediation, you can also get the couple to clean your heating and air conditioning vents.

Indeed, Paramount Carpet Cleaning's many offerings inside the home represent just half of the Loars' business. Paramount Enterprises is set up to take care of the outside of the home: erosion control, snow removal, lawn maintenance, sod installation, fine grading and on and on and on.

Still, business is off. Way off.

The Loars, whose business is based out of their home near Jeffersonton, are trying to make the best of that worrisome situation.

For one, they are able to spend a great deal more time on the planning for a second car show, scheduled for July 18, to benefit the Fauquier Family Shelter. Last year's inaugural event raised almost $4,000 for the homeless shelter.

Carter Loar has had more time to devote to community in general, using his relatively idle equipment and spare time to groom some local T-ball fields recently, for another example.

"During the busy times, we didn't take the time to do those kind of things," he mused last week. "Being busy is great; you have more income coming in and so forth, but you also create additional expenses that normally you would not have if you are able to manage things or control things a little bit better.

"I look back two years ago to when the economy was booming, and we were just running all the time," and without the time or energy to contribute very much to community life.

The forced slowdown has also enabled the couple to sharpen their business focus for when better times return.

"I am able to spend more time, directly as the owner, with the actual customers versus...[it being] just another job," he said.

"When we stepped back and looked at what we had to adjust to, we kind of adjusted to making sure that Carter is involved, that he sees every customer," Dori Loar offered.

"People don't want to be just a number. And their number-one concern is price. [They are asking] what does that price give me, what is the value behind it? If Carter is on the job, there is a sense of reassurance. And they know that they are talking to me, his wife, and they feel more comfortable that way, I've found.

"The old ways of doing business," she concludes, "just aren't working anymore."

Carter Loar said that the economic downturn — the Great Recession, as some have taken to calling it — has strengthened ties between local small-business owners, who, he suggested, are much more willing to help each other these days, sharing equipment, sharing expertise, sharing and trying to assuage the anxiety that this economy causes.

"Everyone has that down-in-the-dumps feeling," he noted, "but the ones that are still around have that light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel attitude, too."

Tough times have made small-business owners a bit more politically aware, he added. "It's kind of depressing when you watch the news and it's a billion here, a trillion there, and we're out here trying to make $200 or $300.

"You hear them talk about small businesses, but I have yet to see anything come about [for small businesses]. Ultimately, the [Washington] attitude is still that it will all trickle down from the top, because they want to deal with big players, and if they fix big players it's going to help the small ones.

"They continue to work with the top," he said, "and the top continues to let them down."

The Loars agreed that they'd be a lot happier if they were a lot busier, but the slowdown in business isn't all negative, and they are trying to make the best of it.

Stronger friendships, closer ties to the community, a clearer perspective about customer service have all grown or are growing out of it.

But enough is enough.

"I can only hope that [the economy has] hit bottom," he said. "I don't see how things could get much worse, let's put it that way."

Both aspects of Paramount's business, inside and out-, can be reached at (540) 937-9905 or at (703) 932-3590. The Website is www.paramountva.com.

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