The cookie cutter chain stores may have competitive similarities. A fast food chain can suddenly offer coffee, and then in reply, a coffee chain offers fast food breakfast. This is different from going to an artist's house and seeing several stained glass roosters and then going to a cottage industry and seeing cabinet knobs and outlet covers also sporting roosters! If they met up and sold the roosters together, it might be cross marketing and they would enjoy more success. The chain competition probably doesn't benefit the competitor, but who knows?
Another business similarity are on opposite sides of town, and the owners have no idea about the other business. The Hope Store has community involvement with children, art classes, book reading, music, free hot dogs on Saturdays and Sundaes on Sunday with products for sale. Jolty's has community music, community art, but the products for sale are food. They are not chain related, and they are both new businesses.
One business has an owner who is involved and very interested in success. The other owner has several businesses, and is more concerned about staying afloat. If the business of cross marketing to people in both businesses happened, there might be more business for both, since there are similarities that their customers might see.
Getting people to find and use their connections to their best potential is another matter. How does one get a couple of community oriented businesses to cross market? Perhaps the person doing the cross marketing can be one of the artists or musicians who participates at both venues? People who work at two separate businesses benefit if the business benefits. The power of changing a business for the better is not always up to the owner or manager. Marketing doesn't always have to bring a direct reward. The indirect reward of better tips and a job that is fun is its own reward.
Simple changes could be made. The artist or musician has a blog and can place a picture and notice on the blog of both places where she/he performs. Cookie cutter chain stores market because they can in big expensive ways. Sometimes word of mouth can be effective enough to make a difference.
Author Bio: Born in Bethesda Naval Hospital, Charlotte Fairchild traveled as a Navy child, and was ordained in 1987 at FBC Milledgeville, GA. Fertile Prayers is her first published book. Kudzu Kwestions will help find her several blogs. Fertility and miscarriage are part of her speaking topics.