Sweet traditions at Hoffman’s Chocolate to stay, despite... | www.palmbeachpost.com

A friendly buyout of a long-time local business by a publicly traded company is nothing to worry about. There are those in our community that occasionally pine for a downtown full of "mom and pop" shops. But where do you draw the line? And what would be the unintended consequences of such a regulation? Hoffman's recently re-opened a store in downtown Lake Worth. With this act, nothing is changing other than the corporate structure, which may funnel more resources to stores. I have always maintained that it is best to have a mix of corporate "chain" stores and traditional "mom and pops." Chain stores have more money for promotion, likely can staff a store during normal business hours and have an identity that can draw people into your downtown. People who want only locally-owned stores have a romantic notion, but it is short on practicality. Click title for link.