Rising Prices Take Bite Out Of Local Businesses OWINGS MILLS, MD & WASHINGTON, D.C. (wypr) - {ambs inside store chatter and cash register stereo mp3 track 4, 1:45ish }

THE SOUND OF A WINNING PLAY, AT BALTIMORE SPORTS AND NOVELTY. THE STORE, CRAMMED WITH EVERYTHING FROM JERSEYS, BANNERS, SHIRTS AND NEON SIGNS, SITS IN AN OWINGS MILLS SHOPPING CENTER:

TAPE: (5 SECONDS) Katzen and customer stereo mp3 track 4, 1:15
IC: [Katzen] It's a good mat.
[One woman] I don't know.
[second woman] I'll take it.
{bring sound down under reporter track as they talk and laugh}

TWO WOMEN SHOPPERS ARE BUYING ITEMS FOR A CHARITY EVENT. OWNER JEFFREY KATZEN TAKES A LITTLE OFF HIS PRICE FOR THE SAKE OF DOING GOOD.

BUT HE'S NOT SURE HIS BUSINESS SPECIALIZING IN RAVENS, ORIOLES AND UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND COLLECTIBLES IS DOING WELL:

TAPE: (25 SECONDS) Katzen intv. *** can be tightened**** mp3 track 5, 0:28
IC : Business is quiet since January. First you have the cold weather and then with the price of gas going up and the price of groceries, this is the last stuff people are going to come and buy. Business is kinda quiet. There's not too much traffic in the shopping center and, ya know, it just seems like you're on a deserted island the way people don't have money. And that's in a lot of businesses right now.

{ambs of door opening bell during intv. as DHL man comes in mp3 track 5, 1:48ish }

AS WE SPOKE WITH KATZEN, A DELIVERY MAN CAME IN LOOKING FOR ANY PICKUPS. IT GOT KATZEN THINKING ABOUT THE TRICKLE DOWN EFFECT:




TAPE: (15 SECONDS) Katzen intv. ***can be tightened*** mp3 track 5, 2:16
IC: When people don't have money, they're not going to buy things on our Web site. So when you don't buy on the Web site, you're not shipping it. When you're not shipping it, he's not busy and he's paying four dollars for gas, or whatever they have to pay for gas. So in the interim, the manufacturer is not busy.

{bring up ambs of McCain speech mp3 track 1}

THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT BUSINESS AND E-BAY HOSTED A SMALL BUSINESS SUMMIT RECENTLY, WHERE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE JOHN MCCAIN GAVE THE KEYNOTE ADDRESS:

TAPE: (6 SECONDS) McCain speech mp3 track 2, 0:18
IC: You're the ones who take the risk, often with little start-up money and nothing to fall back on.

{ambs of McCain speech mp3 track 3, 0:09ish }

MCCAIN APPEARED AND TALKED UP TAX BREAKS FOR BUSINESSES FEELING THE ECONOMIC DOWNTURN. SENATORS BARACK OBAMA AND HILLARY CLINTON STILL IN THE RACE WHEN INVITATIONS WENT OUT DECLINED TO SPEAK AT THE EVENT.

IN THE AUDIENCE WAS PHYLLIS BURLAGE, A SMALL BUSINESS ACCOUNTANT FROM MILLERSVILLE, ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, WHO IS, OF COURSE A SMALL BUSINESS PERSON HERSELF:

TAPE: (31 SECONDS) Phyllis Burlage intv flashmic track 1, 1:32
IC: The gas thing has just come out of nowhere and just smacked everybody in the back of the head. All of a sudden we had a commodity that's going up, that's effectively increasing the price of every single thing that's delivered to the store. All the prices are going up all around. So where a small business, for a couple years has been working hard to maintain their customer base, and to cut costs, they're now reaching a point where they almost don't know where to go to cut any more costs. And they don't know how many of their customers are going to say, Gee, I can't afford tax preparation anymore.'

AND THAT HAS BURLAGE WORRIED ABOUT HER OWN PROSPECTS.

THE NFIB RELEASED A SURVEY SHOWING DOWNWARD TRENDS AND LOWERED OPTIMISM AMONG SMALL BUSINESSES RECESSION LEVEL READINGS, ACCORDING TO THE GROUP'S STATEMENT.

{ambs return to sports store stereo mp3 track 4, 2:00ish }
FOOTBALL SEASON WILL HELP, AND THE ORIOLES APPEAR POISED FOR BETTER DAYS. JEFFREY KATZEN BELIEVES HE CAN HANG ON AT HIS SPORTS NOVELTY STORE THAT DOES GET A BOOST WHEN THE LOCALS THRIVE ON THE FIELD:

TAPE: (13 SECONDS) Katzen intv. mp3 track 5, 7:20
IC: I've been driving less for like since probably last year. Ya know, I go home; I come here. We don't go out too much
{butt w/ 7:43}
I'm not going on vacation this year. Ya know, it's just a sign of the times.

{closing ambs from store stereo mp3 track4, 2:45ish }
AND MOST OF US, DO KNOW, HOW TIMES ARE.

I'M BOB COSTANTINI REPORTING FROM OWINGS MILLS AND WASHINGTON FOR 88.1, WYPR.

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