Len, I know what you are saying. It seems when the little guy starts out he is more personable with his floor traffic. As the business grows, the time to talk and take time with the customer is limited. Often you must hire part time help to do what you once did on you own. It's when the shop gets big that the problems start. Expansion, new products with promises that don't pan out and those 15% of the customers that are just plain jerks. The owner starts to get hard core about things that used to be fun. Prices go up to pay for the expansions and new product lines and some buyers will move on. You have to step back and reevaluate where you want to be. A small shop or go big and have to compete with the rest of the big guys. I like the small mom and pop shops. It's like going to a friend's house or hunting camp when you go to the little guy. Sometimes the regular customer will buy somewhere else, but he always seems to come back to the shop with the service to back the products he sells.