VOA标准英语2011--Small Businesses in New Jersey Town Adap

Small Businesses in New Jersey¹ Town Adapt to Survive

Many small businesses in the United States are struggling these days because of the economic downturn, changes in technology, and competition from large national chains.
In the small town of Teaneck, New Jersey - not far from New York City - business owners are feeling this crunch². They are finding creative ways to cope with the situation.
Fourth-generation baker³ Richard Heisler is the owner of this 80-year-old kosher bakery in Teaneck New Jersey. Butterflake Bakery is one of the best-known bakeries in the New York metropolitan⁴ area. But Heisler said bakeries are a dying business.
“Forty years ago there was no place to go but a bakery to buy a loaf of bread, to get a piece of cake. Today the client has a myriad⁵ of choices to shop at,” said Heisler.
Those other choices include convenience stores and big chain grocery stores. Many of them have their own bakery inside the store, to provide fresh baked goods and confectionery items under one roof. Heisler is adapting to keep his clients.
“We have niched ourselves [created a niche⁶ for ourselves] being a nut-free bakery. We have niched ourselves to the community by challenging ourselves to come with new recipes that are creative. We also service more than just the Jewish community, which is a large staple⁷ of the Teaneck community. We also serve the Muslim community, the Hindu community, special dietary-need communities, whether it's gluten free... So we have found different avenues to increase our business,” said Heisler.
Cedar⁸ lane in Teaneck is home to some of the town’s oldest businesses. Some have reworked themselves to keep their clientele, but others have closed down. The president of Teaneck’s Chamber⁹ of Commerce, Larry Bauer, said most business owners do not know they can seek help from his organization.
“I think a lot of times they do not realize that we [the Chamber of Commerce] are here and when they start running into problems they don’t contact us. We can see what we can do possibly to help them be able to survive. Some businesses have gone out because the owners were up in their years; they wanted to retire. Instead of trying to find somebody that might want to take over their business they just close the business,” said Bauer.
To be able to survive, small businesses have to accommodate the needs of the local community, said the owner of the Teaneck General store. The store is a gift shop, and a kosher café with Wi-Fi. Owner Bruce Prince opened it about two years ago.
“The idea that a small business can cater¹⁰ to a community in a different way, be more mindful of what that community needs. Be mindful about prices, so part of what we do, we shop very carefully to guarantee, or hope to guarantee, a better price,” said Prince.
And as part of their efforts to survive - not only are the local businesses in Teaneck becoming more customer-specific - they also make a point of carrying the work of local artisans.

1 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

2 crunch   

n.关键时刻；艰难局面；v.发出碎裂声

参考例句：

• If it comes to the crunch they'll support us.关键时刻他们是会支持我们的。
• People who crunch nuts at the movies can be very annoying.看电影时嘎吱作声地嚼干果的人会使人十分讨厌。

3 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

4 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

5 myriad   

adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量

参考例句：

• They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.对于我们数不清的问题他们束手无策。
• I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements.我花了三个星期做大量准备工作。

6 niche   

n.壁龛；合适的职务(环境、位置等)

参考例句：

• Madeleine placed it carefully in the rocky niche. 玛德琳小心翼翼地把它放在岩石壁龛里。
• The really talented among women would always make their own niche.妇女中真正有才能的人总是各得其所。

7 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

8 cedar   

n.雪松，香柏(木)

参考例句：

• The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
• She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。

9 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

10 cater   

vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务

参考例句：

• I expect he will be able to cater for your particular needs.我预计他能满足你的特殊需要。
• Most schools cater for children of different abilities.大多数学校能够满足具有不同天资的儿童的需要。