Andy Dixon knows food.
An Athens-area grocer for more than 10 years, Dixon buys the local and organic food sold at Daily Groceries Co-op.
For more than two decades, Athens shoppers have purchased groceries from the small business on Prince Avenue, and the current recession has failed to curb the shop?s success.
?We?re actually up 20 percent,? Dixon said. ?We?ve been doing real well.?
However, the co-op belongs to a minority of small businesses surviving in a tanking economy.
A recent survey by the National Federation of Independent Business reported that optimism among small business owners decreased by three points in June, making it the lowest in more than a year.
Athens businesses also have struggled.
Downtown jewelry and gift shop Helix this week announced a going-out-of-business sale and the doors already are shut at Full Bloom Pregnancy & Early Parenting Center.
But some say Athenians are adamant about supporting small businesses.
?There?s a very strong connection between customers and locally owned and independent businesses,? said Janet Geddis of Avid Bookshop and chairwoman of We Are Athens, which advocates for area small businesses.
?We have a strong team of locally owned businesses and we just want people to know that it does make a difference if you shop at Walmart or Target.?
For example, Whole: Mind.Body.Art, has a boutique that sells items made in poor nations.
Brian and Michelle Vaught abandoned their pursuit of doctorates at the University of Georgia two years ago to start the business at 127 N. Jackson Street.
?The job market in the university system completely collapsed,? Michelle said. ?We had to decide whether we wanted to keep pursuing our PhD?s or if we wanted to use the money elsewhere.?
The couple said they felt no hesitation about opening the boutique, which also seems to buck the survey?s results.
?We have experienced growth,? Michelle said. ?The whole fair trade market has (grown), and we are growing along with them.?
Others believe small business growth, and the optimism it springs, is fickle.
While Dixon?s says Daily Groceries Co-op currently is performing well, the store?s general manager, Andrea Malloy, said that wasn?t always the case.
?We?ve been through a lot,? Malloy said. ?There were times when we were a bill away from closing our doors, but thankfully that never happened.?
Malloy and Michelle Vaught remain advocates for local businesses and insist customers hold the power when it comes to supporting them.
?It?s easy to talk about small businesses and then go to Walmart, or Target, or even Trader Joes,? Malloy said. ?I think people should start to understand that you vote more with your dollars than anything else.?
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