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Article: INDEPENDENTS' DAY SMALL, COMMUNITY-BASED REAL ESTATE AGENCIES CONTINUE TO THRIVE, DESPITE THE THREAT OF COMPETITION PRESENTED BY SEVERAL NATIONAL CHAINS
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- May 7, 2000
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2000 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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For 25 years national real estate chain operators have been
knocking on the door of Christopher J. Barrett Sr., an independent
real estate firm owner in Wakefield.
"One representative of a chain - I won't say which one - told me I
had to go to a follow-up meeting, even though I'd said I wasn't
interested in selling out. But this guy persisted, saying my business
wouldn't survive if I didn't give him an OK and become a franchised
operation," Barrett recalled.
"But we're still independent, doing things for the community that
we couldn't do if we had to pay high franchise fees," he said. His
company supports a half-dozen youth programs and a golf tournament
benefit for spinal muscular ...