With this in mind, there are a few questions we wanted answered. What makes people want to open a retail business? What thrills them about it and what keeps them up at night?  And how is what’s happening in Washington affecting them?

For answers, we went to some retailers who understand the value of owning a retail business. Here’s what John Pelzer, owner of Busch’s Florist in Jefferson City, Mo., and Beth Aberg, owner of Random Harvest with four locations around Washington, D.C., had to say about being a small retail owner. Small retailers like these take risks and see the rewards every day – cementing themselves as the bedrock in towns across the nation in the process.

How long have you been a small retail owner?  What do you know now that you wish you knew when you first opened for business?

Busch’s Florist, Jefferson City, Mo.

Aberg: I’ve been in business for over 30 years, starting in New York City in 1982.  I learned that you don’t have to do it all yourself. There is great help out there for certain aspects of the business that costs very little – instance, payroll and tax services.

Pelzer: Busch’s Florist and Greenhouse is the oldest retail business in Jefferson City, Mo., having been established in 1890.  I am the third owner in 123 years and have owned Busch’s for 13 years. Where do I start?  I was not a florist, or even a business owner, when I undertook this venture. The hours, the stress of cash flow, the extreme peaks and valleys of the floral year, everything about human resources and the importance/impact of the Internet on my industry all come to mind as issues I wish I had known more about when purchasing this business.

Why did you go into retail?

Aberg: I have always had a love for all things related to interior spaces, renovating them and finding the best of what is out there to fill them. Being in retail allows for me to continue to do what I love. Otherwise I would have an unsustainable buying habit.

What about being a small retail owner keeps you up at night?

Pelzer: I worry about things like making payroll in the slow months, new taxes and regulations (i.e. the Affordable Care Act) which impact our very existence and competition from Internet floral order gathers that compete with us locally without having to collect or remit the same taxes we do.  I worry about my staff, particularly during slow times when I have to make a decision about hours or even layoffs.

What about being a small retail owner makes you excited to head to work every morning?

Aberg: The fact that anything is possible. Being small means we can be reasonably nimble in experimenting with new ideas and products without enormous risk.

Pelzer: It’s the challenge.  I bought a well-established, yet underperforming business 13 years ago. I’ve taken chances, made a lot of mistakes, hit a few homeruns, never been afraid to try new things and have tried to stay on top of or ahead of industry trends.  And when things start working well, it’s the satisfaction and pride you get that keeps you coming back.

Retailers are often considered the backbone of their local community and economy.  How would you describe your business’s role in your community?

Pelzer: Without question, I believe we are a leader in community involvement, both with our time, our product and our money. I am personally involved in a half-dozen organizations, and my staff members even more.  We contribute product and dollars to dozens of charitable events and organizations. I am a firm believer that it is the duty and responsibility of retailers and all local businesses to give back to the community which patronizes our stores, to keep our city strong and vibrant and to improve the quality of life for all its residents.

What policies before Congress do you think have the biggest impact on small retailers and why?

Aberg: Certainly the Marketplace Fairness Act for sales tax equality. It is becoming increasingly difficult for brick and mortar to compete. For any store, be it online or a physical address, the state’s tax policy needs to be the same.

What forms of communication do you use to engage with your elected officials about issues that are important to your retail business?

Pelzer: Face to face, when possible.  E-mail, phone/fax on urgent issues, and my national associations – NRF and the Society of American Florists.

These partnerships extend not only to law enforcement but also the shopping center industry as well. General Growth Properties (GGP) Director of Corporate Security Steven Crumrine profiled the partnership that several prominent brands have with GGP. Crumrine was quick to quip that his 24 years of experience with the Baltimore Police Department didn’t quite prepare him for the nuances of retail loss prevention and shopping center management – particularly, the different merchant privilege statutes across 50 states. After several retailers approached GGP for a creative solution to combat ORC, it took a “continuum of partnerships,” as Crumrine put, to bring the ORC action plan to fruition.

Nelson Harrah, Director, Organized Retail Crime, Gap, Inc.

The starting point included a training video, which leveraged subject matter experts through NRF’s Investigators Network, the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) and the retail loss prevention community. This helped address issues at the store-level, arming associates with knowledge of the criminals’ more common behaviors and tactics. But the centerpiece of GGP’s plan was the creation of the Top 25 ORC Report, which shares information across properties to identify which retailers are hit most frequently, and through analysis of the shared data, creates a mall “hot spot” map to indicate which areas are being targeted. The result is a quarterly customized report for specific properties, enabling security and retail loss prevention teams to take a strategic approach to kick even more organized retail crime syndicates to the curb.

Gap, Inc.’s Director of Organized Retail Crime Nelson Harrah followed Crumrine with his own case studies of curbing ORC in locations across North America. Reiterating the procedures identified in the ORC action plan, Harrah emphasized that it’s critical for retailers to focus on the “pain points,” which can be overcome through proper training exercises, education, and open communication between your in-store staff and mall security.  The results have paid off big for Gap so far. The connections and information shared made through NRF’s Investigator Network, ICSC and other communities enabled Gap to revamp their own organized retail action plan – saving them millions of dollars in the process.

NRF Loss Prevention Conference EXPO Floor (2012)

This week, NRF’s Loss Prevention Conference and EXPO kicks off in San Diego, attracting more than 2,400 loss prevention and law enforcement professionals. Like many other areas of the retail industry, loss prevention has changed dramatically in recent years. As we illustrated earlier with our LP leaders series, those who have more than 15 years of experience under their belts likely started their careers at a time when the profession was more narrowly defined as a security or shoplifter-catching operation. But in many retail organizations today’s loss prevention pros have a more diverse set of responsibilities and an expanded strategic role.

As the retail environment continues to evolve, loss prevention teams are tasked with staying one step ahead of criminals and protecting their organizations against increasingly complex threats like fraud, organized retail crime and more. As thousands of LP leaders make their way to San Diego to sharpen their skills and learn new ways to be successful, we wanted to share some of the hot topics they’ll be talking about at the show. We’ll be expanding on these topics on the blog this week with coverage from the show, and you can get instant updates by following #nrfLP13 on Twitter.

Emerging technologies

Emerging technologies provide both new opportunities and new threats. Retailers are constantly weighing the benefits of the latest customer-wowing technology against the potential risks. Plus new tools like facial recognition and video analytics are becoming more available to retailers. From mobile point of sale to social media monitoring, technology and the trend to omnichannel retailing is changing the retail landscape and creating new questions for LP teams to seriously consider.

Business continuity and emergency preparedness

Reports of violent incidents in or around shopping centers and the complications of gun-carry laws have LP leaders evaluating active shooter emergency protocols, while the extreme weather we’ve seen both recently and over the past year has heightened sensitivity to emergency response and business continuity plans.

Theft and organized retail crime

As criminals evolve and change their behavior, LP leaders are focused on enhancing anti-theft and shrink-management strategies. With ORC growing, there’s a focus on enhancing information-sharing networks and partnerships involving retailers, local law enforcement and mall management.

Professional Development

As the LP role becomes more complex and central to the executive strategy, it’s opening up diverse growth opportunities for those in the LP field. LP professionals are looking for strategies to develop and attract the talent and skills needed for tomorrow’s LP leaders.

NRF’s Loss Prevention Conference and EXPO runs Wednesday through Friday at the San Diego Convention Center. To register, visit www.nrf.com/lp13. Entry to the EXPO Hall, featuring more than 200 solution providers and the Fusion Center, is free for retailers and law enforcement professionals.

In my job I’m fortunate enough to speak first-hand with retailers on a regular basis to discuss what is top of mind in the LP community. From these conversations, I’ve learned there is still a great concern over cargo theft, in-store violence from criminals avoiding apprehension, and “gateway crimes” – crimes that are known to lead to bigger crimes.

This year, a troubling new trend emerged: store merchandise credit/gift card fraud. Essentially, experienced “boosters” return stolen merchandise without a receipt for the sole purpose of receiving store credit for a gift card, and then turn around and sell that merchandise credit for cash to secondary markets. Retailers agree this is a very important crime to keep an eye on. Nearly eight in 10 executives surveyed have experienced this threat at their stores.

According to the survey, understanding the complexity of this issue by both law enforcement and top retail management has increased. That’s a good sign, but industry experts and law enforcement officials estimate that ORC stills cost retailers $30 billion a year. NRF designed the infographic seen here to highlight some of the results from the survey. Just how big is $30 billion? See what we found you could buy for that sum.

Embed this infographic on your site using the code below
<a href=”http://blog.nrf.com/2013/06/06/organized-retail-crime-current-challenges-and-future-solutions/”><img src=”http://d6be91a12bc2a9175275-58f3264aceb7500b5b8a66d1cf959fff.r43.cf1.rackcdn.com/ORC-graphic-june2013-700×900.jpg” alt=”Organized Retail Crime (ORC) – Infographic” title=”Organized Retail Crime (ORC) – Infographic” width=”700″ height=”900″ </a>

And today we’ve got some things you don’t want to miss.

Retail Jobs powered by NRF is available today featuring hundreds of the best jobs in the industry. If you’re looking for talent or your next career step, I would encourage you to check out the industry’s premier platform for retail opportunities.

Want an insider’s perspective? Take a look at our retail stories from the executives and employees themselves, with a broad range of personal stories from retailers and industry partners.

If you think retail means standing behind a cash register, think again. Nothing tells the retail industry story quite like the numbers. If you find a stat that speaks volumes, be sure to share it via email or social media and help us correct the misperceptions about our industry.

As we move forward into late spring and early summer, many experts will take a close look at other essential economic indicators as they relate to the strength of the consumer. It is not surprising that media headlines are locked in on what is happening in the housing market, especially with seasonal sales of lumber, garden equipment and building supplies all faring well last month, as they typically do this time each year.

Housing starts in March broke an annual pace of one million for the first time since the beginning of the recovery in June 2009. Truth be told, no other sector in the economy plays such a dominant role in business cycles. The relationship between housing and the economy is crucial in every economic recovery because they both depend on the strength of growth in employment and incomes. Slowdowns and slumps in housing tend to foreshadow declines in economic activity, while housing upturns tend to be a key factor in economic recoveries that often set the pace for broader economic growth.

It’s important to note that economic activity is stimulated more by the purchase of a new house than an existing house because of the material and labor required in constructing that new family home. Housing prices also tend to move closely with consumer spending, almost directly impacting the retail industry. The latest S&P Case-Shiller 20 City Home Price Index has jumped 9.3 percent over the past year, a solid increase. Each time a home is purchased, consumers arrange financing, undertake renovations and/or make investments to improve their comfort or home values. This helps generate new sales of appliances, home furnishings, garden equipment and more. America is enjoying the fruits of a sustainable, relatively healthy housing market right now, but that wasn’t the case as recent as 2006 when the United States witnessed a significant collapse in the mortgage market. As a result, consumers pulled back on spending in almost every category except necessities like health and personal care grocery. Sectors like home furnishings, electronics, building materials and other specialty stores immediately felt the difference.

As we stand now, the worst of the housing crumble is behind us and we are encouraged by the growth seen just these last few years. Finance options remain a challenge for many consumers, but prices are low enough that many Americans have a better chance of affording a new house now than they did at the peak of the market a few short years ago.

While the road to a complete recovery may seem long, we have seen substantial gains over the past year and expect another good year ahead, with many of the improvements coming directly from home builders and buyers. Nonetheless, the improvement in the housing market will continue to play an integral role in pace of the economy and the continued strength of the consumer. NRF members can access this month’s full Monthly Economic Review here.

NRF Senior Vice Presidents David French and Ellen Davis, and Vice President Rachelle Bernstein appeared on CNBC, CNN, and MSNBC, respectively, to explain the need to level the playing field between online and brick-and-mortar retailers. Watch each video below.

After the 69-27 vote to approve the Marketplace Fairness Act, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay praised senators for “standing with local retailers and America’s small business owners in a strong, bi-partisan vote … despite a highly-funded misinformation campaign by the legislation’s opposition.”

“Today’s action in the Senate is a significant step for sales tax fairness and we look forward to a robust debate in the U.S. House of Representatives,” Shay said.

Generational aspects aside, there is a common issue all age groups are facing – how to handle the challenges that exist in today’s economy.  When it comes to millennials specifically, we wanted know whether they are spending less and what is the depth of the economic impact on young adults’ shopping habits. We went to our friends at Prosper Insights & Analytics to find out.

Their April Consumer Survey revealed that 89.5 percent of young adults feel the economy is affecting their spending plans in some way. But for many, it’s evident that the current state of the economy is not going to stop them from frequenting their favorite restaurant or force them to dig through coupons or even circulars for the best deals.

After evaluating the data, I sought the help of Dianne Kremer, senior analyst at Prosper Insights & Analytics. Here’s what she had to say about the mindset of today’s young adults:

“Despite having a higher unemployment rate, 18- to 24-year-olds are less likely to pull back their spending due to the economy. Being less likely to carry the financial burden of a mortgage or the responsibility of children, coupled with being happier with the current administration in Washington, young adults are significantly more likely to have a ‘live for today’ mentality when it comes to opening their wallets. Though it’s uncertain, these consumers remain more confident in the future health of the U.S. economy.”

Last week, against a backdrop of higher payroll taxes, disappointing jobs data and an unusually cold start to spring through much of the country, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced March retail sales grew a measly 1.6 percent over March 2012. And, what’s more, other economic indicators leave a lot to be desired. In addition to the latest sales results, a recent University of Michigan survey found that consumer confidence declined to 72.3 from 78.6, and the private sector added a less than stellar 88,000 jobs last month.

As we look ahead, I am still optimistic for chances of growth tied to stronger housing and business investment in the second half of the year, and as consumers get used to the changes in their paychecks and gain confidence as the key back to school and holiday seasons approach. While on paper, four years later, things appear better, we have some time before we can celebrate a return to “normalcy.” For an in-depth analysis of retail and the economy, NRF members can view our first installment of the NRF Monthly Economic Review here.

If you’re an industry insider, as you read about my bi-weekly shopping habits, you probably have a good understanding of how a process like this comes together to provide a customized experience for the shoppers that frequent your stores, website or mobile sites. But do those same shoppers – your shoppers – think about the creative marketers, the precision supply chain pros and the product merchandisers that have poured hours into making sure that sale happens? I call these positions the “invisible” jobs in retail – the ones that outside the industry, you’d never know existed.

But the jobs available in retail are far more diverse than you could ever imagine – even if you’ve worked inside it for years. Did you know that there are 25,000 accountants and auditors and 4,600 computer programmers working in retail? How about the 2,600 animal trainers? I’m adding one of them to my “like to meet list” too. There are also software developers, floral designers, private detectives and investigators, and even cosmetologists – each of these playing an essential role in the customer experience puzzle.

Art and design are deeply ingrained in the success of the retail industry. Creative minds and problem solvers are key to keeping the industry fresh, innovative and thriving. If you’re looking for a career to expand your mind, your art and your horizons – retail is the place for you.

Analysts, marketers, lawyers, strategists and buyers all influence the access of product and purchase by shoppers. There’s no better place to gain business experience than retail, so dive in and see what side fits you best.

Retailers know the secret to success is found in personal, customized shopping experiences – sometimes even from the custom-built products of passionate sellers. Do you have a niche skill set or product that you’re passionate about? Then it’s time to discover a career in retail.

Retail supports 42 million jobs – that’s one in four jobs across America –  many of which you never see when you walk into a store. Do you have an “invisible” retail job? Tell us your story.