As a small retailer, what are the keys to staying afloat and succeeding? Michael Bergdahl's answer: I think small local retailers need to cooperate with one another and work together by sharing competitive ideas with one another. Cooperation not competition between small local retailers is the key. Main Street Customer Loyalty Programs have been used very successfully. Another strategy is to offer products that cater to local tastes. Finally you must provide personalized service to “your neighbors” that gives them now reason to shop anywhere else!