Baker Office Supply at 310 Main St. in Greenfield has been a staple in the local community for about 80 years.
The secret to the business’s longevity is its ability to adapt to changing times.
“The evolution has been incredible and very fast-paced,” said William Baker, who owns the store along with his wife, Roberta, about how the business landscape has changed since Baker took over in the early ‘90s.
He’s standing near a window overlooking the street, in front of a display of binders. The store sits right in the center of the business district, a block east of Wilson’s Department Store.
“It’s really a group effort,” the business owner added with a laugh. “My wife, I can’t give her enough credit. Everyone sees me as the headliner, but she’s the glue that holds it all together.”
Baker Office Supply has roots going back to 1936, when Gerald Barrett and John Baker opened a book store, according to the store’s website.
If the value of a business was told by the loyalty of its employees, the office supply store would be at the top of the list. For example, Bonnie Olson has been with the company for more than 40 years.
Today, the store sells everything from janitorial supplies, such as toilet paper, to coffee and other break room supplies, to traditional office goods, such as staplers and notecards, to cards and handbags.
Over the years, the business has expanded its selection and changed its buying practices in order to compete with large conglomerate office supply businesses, such as Staples. There is a Staples store on the Mohawk Trail in Greenfield, 1.4 miles west of Baker Office Supply, a mere three minutes drive away.
“Another huge piece is that we’ve diversified so much,” Baker said, adding that there isn’t much room for error running a small business. “We can’t mess up. We have to provide value.”
To keep costs down, the business purchases directly from manufacturers through a buying group of independent businesses that make bulk orders together to get the best prices.
“It enables us to compete and get the prices we need,” he said. “Our biggest threat right now is competing against online giants. Amazon is the big gorilla in the room right now.”
To do that, the local business has revamped its website and hired extra help to increase its online presence, through social media interactions and the website. Baker said that the website is mostly geared toward business-to-business interactions.
According to Baker, the bulk of the store’s business is made through those relationships.
As far as how the local business is different from online outlets, Baker said customers would be hard pressed to find the same personalized service elsewhere. One way the store keeps the customer first is by keeping track of buying history and then making recommendations on how the customer could save money, Baker said.
So far, Baker’s recipe has succeeded. The local business is getting new customers every day.
“We’re lucky that we have so much local support,” Baker said.
“People like to see local businesses succeed.”
You can reach Andy Castillo at: acastillo@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 263. On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo