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Efforts to Tie Small Businesses To Politics Harms, Then Helps In Some Cases
By Tina Traster
Small businesses, the backbone of the American economy, are increasingly becoming targets for the political divide that is tearing the nation apart.
In southern New Jersey, a bakery became a punching bag for the right after New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill visited the establishment last week. And in Rockland County, Facebook became a blue-red hornet’s nest after a poster put up a list of allegedly “Republican leaning” businesses that she wrote should be boycotted.
Boycotting large corporations such as Target or CBS or Tesla or Disney is one way for dissatisfied citizens to send messages about unwanted stands or policies companies take. In notable cases such as the Disney boycott over Jimmy Kimmel’s firing, the company relented to public pressure, and the popular comedian was reinstated.
The bottom line for corporations can be felt by their shareholders, but large companies have deep pockets and resilient long-term strategies.
In contrast, small businesses can be wiped out if they succumb to bad press or a negative public campaign. That might be justified if a company is irresponsible or harmful to people but what’s happening these days is that small businesses are being swept into the daily maelstrom of vicious politics.
Take for example the case of Two Sweet Boutique in Deptford, which was honored by Sherrill, who visited Two Sweet Boutique on Feb. 27 to draw attention to the contributions of the state’s small businesses and to promote her policies intended to help entrepreneurs.
The next day, the bakery’s operators, members of the Centrone family, woke up to a storm of “negativity” from trolls who wanted to punish the small business for affiliating with the Democratic governor. Overnight, angry comments from Sherrill critics were left as voicemails, online messages, and a slew of one-star business reviews.
The bakery responded on Facebook:
“We understand that everyone has their own opinions. As a small family-owned, mom-and-pop bakery, we were truly honored to be recognized by our town and invited to meet with the Governor to talk about ways to support small businesses like ours. This message is in reference to the voicemails and messages and 1 star reviews we woke up to this morning. For us, this had nothing to do with politics. It was about representing the hardworking small business community and the real families behind these shops. Every day we pour our hearts into what we do, and we’re incredibly proud of how far our little family business has come.”
Mom and pops don’t have time or the wherewithal to fight political warfare. With rising costs, employee shortages, and other challenges, small businesses are not necessarily equipped to battle misplaced political sabotage.
By Sunday, a tsunami of support and positive reviews and in-person orders came in response to the attacks.
An online Facebook poster wrote: As a dentist I proudly Stand for Two Sweets!! I encourage everyone to eat a cinnamon roll or two before bed instead of brush and flossing your teeth…”
Most of nearly 1,000 comments supported the bakery.
In return, the bakery posted: “Thank you for your patience on line, your kind words, your Google reviews, your support, and the love from SO MANY fellow small businesses too. It did not go and will never go unnoticed,” Two Sweet Boutique posted a Facebook update on Monday. “We’re ready for this page to get back to what really matters… cookies 🍪 banana pudding 🍌 Buns 🍥 THANK YOU 💗.”
A Post That Roused Rockland
On Feb. 26, a Facebook poster in Rockland County wrote: “Sharing this list for transparency. These local businesses have publicly supported Republican politicians. If that influences where you choose to shop, dine or spend, please consider supporting alternatives that align for your values.” The list included 13 businesses.
The post caused a firestorm, with more than 500 comments, ranging from condemnation to snark. One responder wrote: “Thank you for telling where I should spend my hard earned cash… put out a bigger list you stupid uneducated Neanderthal, actually thats (sic) an unfair slight to Neanderthals…”
Although the original poster said she took down the post an hour after she initially put it on Facebook, it was reposted, debated, and became fodder for politicians and everybody else to weigh in on. Clarkstown Supervisor George Hoehmann used the official town Facebook page to say: “Today, I saw a partisan political activist’s social media post targeting many of our local small businesses for a boycott due to the alleged partisan affiliations of their owners. This is an affront to our community and way of life in Clarkstown. These businesses provide many varying services to our community. They employ our family members. They donate to our local student groups, sports teams, and community organizations. These businesses feed our families, clothe our kids, fix our homes, and go above and beyond for our residents every day of the year. I call on all elected officials and candidates for public office to join me in reaffirming our support for all local small businesses and reject this unacceptable assault on our Clarkstown small businesses.”
As an aside, not all the businesses on the list were Clarkstown businesses.
Even Republican Congressman Mike Lawler weighed in: “Many people in our community have expressed their opposition to the President, the Republican Party, and me — that is their right. I respect the right to protest, to voice a different political perspective, and to vote accordingly. However, some of those same people not only demand everyone respect their point of view, but seemingly believe others are not entitled to their political perspective. They say they want “No Kings” and they rail against “fascism” — yet they don’t really want debate or opposition. They want unanimity and obedience to their point of view. Now these same people… are threatening to boycott business in Rockland County because of the perceived or real political leanings of the owners. It’s not only wrong, it’s un-American. If you don’t want to frequent a store or restaurant or service, that is your right. But don’t try to destroy a business and the jobs associated with it simply because you don’t like their politics or that of people they happen to support.”
And then the Clarkstown Democratic Candidates issued a statement:
It’s unclear what it’s going to take to knit back together but if politicians aim to voice outrage over this division, then they must lead by example and keep a lid on their own divisive rhetoric — the sort of rhetoric that leads others to call for senseless boycotts and the destruction of local businesses.
