hese days, even small towns can’t escape the trends dominating mainstream America.

No better is this represented than in DeKalb where a sudden increase in such widely-known names as Old Navy, Borders Books & Music, Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Ruby Tuesday have taken over the consumer landscape.

But as is the case with any small town growth comes the reality that many smaller, home-grown businesses may be affected one way or another when competing with corporate giants.

Marion Golembiewski, assistant manager of Fashion Bug, 2451 Sycamore Rd., said the establishment of such stores has both helped and hindered local business.

“Sure new businesses have affected a lot of stores,” Golembiewski said. “We’ve been down a couple of times [since Old Navy opened], but now we’re going back up thanks to our location next to the new Barnes & Noble. Generally, stores such as ours see a decline in sales at the beginning, but after about three months, things return to normal.”

To keep its customer base, Golembiewski said Fashion Bug is putting coupons inside credit card statements any time a customer uses a credit card at the store.

Nancy Sisler, part owner of the soon-to-close County Inn Restaurant in Sycamore, said it’s a natural occurrence to see customer drop-off in a smaller town when bigger companies come storming in.

“When you have seven or eight new restaurants built around the past three years and no increase in population, you generally see a decrease in business,” Sisler said. “I would think all restaurants have taken a hit recently.”

Sisler said the building of newer restaurants on Sycamore Road is the primary cause of local restaurants seeing a downward turn in business. Sisler said the customers’ decisions are not to blame, but rather, the people who own or manage the restaurants.

“I guess to prevent losing business, you have to be a better manager,” Sisler said.

Sisler mentioned that the DeKalb Family Restaurant selling off its property to a more upscale company had nothing to do with diminishing business, but simply, it is time for her and her husband and co-owner Jim Sisler to retire.

Vickie Obermiller, owner of Kids Stuff, a local clothing store at 248 E. Lincoln Highway, said the recent addition of Old Navy had minor effects on her business.

“Everything here has been pretty much the same except for we noticed a little drop-out right when Old Navy first opened,” Obermiller said. “But I think most people around here eventually chose to come back to their own hunting place.”

With the soon-to-be-built Mattress Giant in DeKalb, smaller mattress stores such as Sleep Elements, 1955 DeKalb Ave. in Sycamore, feel the adverse effects of larger, competitive businesses in DeKalb. Jason Luter, manager of Sleep Elements, said although bigger business can be detrimental, it’s sometimes the smaller, more trusted stores that have a distinct advantage.

“I think everything for us being kept local is an advantage by dealing with people in the area,” Luter said. “We don’t have to keep guidelines that in other businesses may apply here as well as in larger markets such as Chicago. And large companies may only be able to discount items so far, whereas we have a lot more flexibility with product sales and customer service.”

Sometimes, for businesses like Lansirs, 112 E. Lincoln Highway, owned by Lance Hansen, the corporate influx in DeKalb had no effect.

“I don’t feel the growth of bigger stores has the same impact on my store,” Hansen said. “I don’t see the new businesses coming to DeKalb as the primary reason behind the closing.”