Local businesses have always shaped the heart and identity of neighborhoods, with entrepreneurs giving each community its own unique character. While inflation has sparked concerns about the future of small businesses, many wonder what it takes for them to survive in today’s challenging society. For residents, the well-being of local stores is about more than just money — it’s about keeping a culture alive that big stores can’t replicate.
For a local restaurant owner, opening a shop in Grosse Pointe became a lesson on how much a community can lift up its own. Jennifer Bierkle, owner of High Pointe Burger Jointe, sees firsthand what happens when a new business connects with its neighbors.
“Community support has been amazing,” Bierkle said. “They welcomed us with open arms and keep doing it every week, and it’s been great.”
While the atmosphere is welcoming, keeping a small business running demands constant dedication. For students like Olivia Riddle ’28, these businesses are important to their school days and social lives.
“I’d really miss the reliable food supplies across from our school and the love from all the small businesses,” Riddle said. “They’re a big part of what makes our community feel connected.”
Even with neighborhood love, the financial pressure of the post-pandemic economy creates a steep mountain for new entrepreneurs to climb. Bierkle’s journey into the restaurant world has taken a little over a year.
“During covid we started making these like little smash burgers at home and we came up with all different kinds,” Bierkle said. “Being someone that loves to cook, that’s all we did — cook and experiment — and those days in the kitchen turned into the menu we have today.”
Moving from cooking at home to running a professional store needs a special “local supports local” attitude to help keep the neighborhood economy thriving.
“I really tried to source all of our stuff from local businesses and people,” Bierkle said. “Our beef comes from Fairway Packing, which is a Grosse Pointe family, and our buns come from Metro Point.”
Still, challenges persist. Both community and government action are necessary for small businesses to thrive. Business ethics professor Mike Greiner from Oakland University argues that the survival of these shops depends on the stability of the institutions around them.
“The thing that can be done for business is to essentially support those institutions and make sure that we have real certainty with the environment in which business can operate,” Greiner said. “We must continue to support things like the educational system and the legal system…things that essentially make this an attractive environment in which new business(es) can start.”
The future of the community depends on whether this innovation can be sustained. Greiner points out that lasting change starts with how we view the ups and downs of running a business.
“One thing people should learn is to not look negatively on failure. Failure is a necessary part of doing business,” Greiner said. “Part of the real strength of the American economy is the fact that we are able to let people fail and get back into business…having the lessons that they learned as a result of this failure to generate new economic activity.”
As Bierkle reflects on her journey, she hopes more people realize that persistence and community can overcome the toughest odds.
“Anybody can do it,” Bierkle said. “I just started, and just kept one foot in front of the other, and kept learning every day, and here we are.”
