Buy & Sell Vs. Make & Sell

There are two types of stores in this world: Buy & Sell and Make & Sell. I work in a small retail space shared by two businesses. One is a grocery store specializing in local products. That’s a Buy & Sell model. The other business is a bakery. That’s Make & Sell. What are the comparative values offered to society by these two types of retail operations?

The grocery store doesn’t make anything, but they do have a focus, so at least they are not just a generic store. They offer the public a single location to pick up items made regionally, mostly by small producers. Of course, they tack on an additional price to those products, and in that way the public pays for the convenience of local shopping. An additional value is more ephemeral — it’s the cozy, family atmosphere of the shop.

The bakery makes all its own products. It’s driven by one family’s passion for baking. They provide the public with items they crafted themselves that are available almost exclusively at that retail location. Similar to the grocery store, they offer an intangible smallville feeling.

The other day, I was describing a café I like to one of the owners of the bakery where I work. It became apparent in my description that this particular café doesn’t make anything. They source their baked goods from local bakeries. Yes, they brew the coffee, but since they don’t roast it, that would stretch the definition of “making” something. My baker friend had a hard time understanding why anyone would feel compelled to open up a café without making any of the food themselves. The answer, of course, is to make money. That’s why you see generic convenience stores and diners called “Eat.” It’s plausible that the owner of such a store has a passion to run a store. But those places are the type of Buy & Sell establishments that offer very little of value to the public. They may be well located to serve the needs of the public, but that’s about it.

I can’t say that Buy & Sell shops don’t serve a purpose. I can only say that I am far less motivated to work for one, carrying out somebody else’s dream of making money, than I am working for a Make & Sell place like a bakery. In both cases my labor is being exploited for the profit of others, but only in the latter do I feel really good about my interactions with the public.

Does this assessment hold true across the board? MacDonald’s would have to be classified as Make & Sell, even though the person whose passion it was to make cheap, widely available burgers is long dead. I can picture the happiness on the faces of kids when they get MacDonald’s French fries, so I guess there’s that. What about a specialty import store that doesn’t create anything but makes something locally available that otherwise wouldn’t be? It may be driven by the proprietor’s passion for some imported good, but it’s clearly Buy & Sell.

I guess it’s hard to choose a side and rest in judgement. That’s not a comfortable position to take in times of stratification and vilification. I prefer one model, but I recognize the gray areas.

I used to own an art gallery. It featured the works of local, emerging artists. That would have to fall into the category of Buy & Sell, except we were making something, something that the bakery and the local grocery store that share a space are making. We were making a community experience.