One thing you can try is to contact your local newspaper's business section writer and pitch an article idea. Tell him/her your situation. If your new competition is a major franchise or chain, the article could take on a You've Got Mail slant....the big bad Fox Books comes to town and kills the Little Shop Around the Corner. It could get you the sympathy vote.

Something similar happened to a local bakery in my area several years ago. An article appeared in the local paper about how they'd been in business for many years and lately business had dropped dramatically and they were in danger of going under. I happpened at the time to work for a major Fortune 100 company. I started ordering monthly birthday cakes from them. Very quickly the entire corporation started ordering from them. Fast forward several years....they not only survived, they recently opened a second location.

Good luck to you.
Sylvia
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