It certainly doesn’t.

Many small business in the U.S. are  becoming part of a new wave of small-scale and super premium manufacturing. There’s any number of examples to look at, like the plumbing parts manufacturing in Brooklyn, the artisanal chocolate makers and the distillers in Boston.

There’s also no shortage of stories focusing on Brooklyn’s manufacturing boom. Turns out we are making things with our hands even if schools don’t teach us how anymore.

Of course Brooklyn, with its close proximity to Manhattan and available factory space, can’t be a model for every city that wants to develop a micro-manufacturing center specializing in pickles, bicycles and chocolate.

But there’s an old idea that Eggers touches on that’s taking hold in New York that other cities can and should appropriate. And it’s such an old concept that Brooklyn can’t even take credit for it. It’s the bazaar, as old as market capitalism itself.

In New York City, we’ve seen a few bazaars sprout up in the last few years. Of course here they’re called “fleas” because this has a retro feel to it and sounds cooler than simply calling something a “market.” But make no mistake, these are nothing new. They are just updated variations of the old mall/market/bazaar.

There’s my favorite, the Pop Up Flea, which returned this year bigger than ever and boasting a Microsoft sponsorship. And then there’s the mother of fleas, the Brooklyn Flea, an outdoor flea that seeks shelter in the old Williamsburg Bank building during colder months to attract consumers all year. It’s also grown a spinoff market for food vendors called Smorgasburg. And if there’s doubt about growth potential for these markets, consider one investor the Brooklyn Flea’s founders recently attracted: Goldman Sachs.

Goldman invested $25 million dollars to help the Brooklyn Flea build out a communal cooking space for food startups, as the New York Times reported. That’s not the only food incubator in town either. Somewhat shockingly to Eggers, people have embraced his idea to build a communal market space for small business and manufacturers:

Every time I pitched it, I half-hoped someone would tell me it was a terrible or unworkable idea, because I have none of the concrete expertise – in small manufacturing, real estate, renovating former mints – necessary to make it happen. But so far, no one’s told me what I wanted to hear. Instead, too many people have said yes.

Eggers may prefer to think of himself as a writer and not an entrepreneur. But as the founder of a small but respected publishing empire, he shouldn’t be so surprised by those “yeses.”  Here’s to Egger’s entrepreneurial instinct and to the old concept of the market, or the bazaar, or the flea…whatever you want to call it.

Image: A shop vendor waits for customers in Grand Bazaar of Istanbul March 3, 2010. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

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Image: REUTERS/Screengrab

Clymer was there to sell vintage watches, owned by others, as part of a larger marketing effort that he hopes will make Hodinkee the online destination for all things watch. So far, the strategy seems to be working. Clymer says Hodinkee gets about 300,000 unique visitors a month from more than 50 countries. Traffic to the site doubled in 2011 and grew 120 percent in 2012.

Hodinkee already has partnerships with online retailers Gilt, Park & Bond and Club Monaco. Clymer helps those outlets select watches to sell on their sites. John Mayer is a regular contributor to Hodinkee and Clymer is in talks to launch a web series on Jay-Z’s Life + Times YouTube channel. Clymer says there are currently no plans for a retail operation, but Hodinkee continues to add new products, including straps, pouches and ties to its online store.

Reuters spoke with Clymer to find out how he built Hodinkee, what worked, what didn’t and what’s next.

Tell me about when you started Hodinkee.

I started it when I was working at UBS as a consultant. I have always liked watches and mechanical watches. My grandfather had given me an Omega when I was 16. I always liked to write so I looked at my Omega Speedmaster at the time and thought, what is this? Why is this special? I posted a blog and started researching the bigger brands—Rolex, Patek Philippe —and writing what I was learning each day. And then an editor [got in touch] kind of randomly and said I really like what you’re doing, writing about these high-end watches from a younger perspective, and interviewed me for GQ.com. After that, 1,000 people came to the site and that was the first big break.
So you never had a business plan and you never did a competitive landscape analysis. You just went for it?

Yeah, that’s exactly right. I went to school for business and computer science and I competed in entrepreneurial things and was fairly successful and won a few contests with business plans. I probably spent 100 hours writing business plans and submitting them to VCs and angel investors. I got some traction but it was just such an immense amount of time, when I could have been building the product. Looking back, I realize now I’ll just never write another business plan again; so much time wasted.

Tell me a little bit about your collaborations. I know you work with Gilt Groupe and others. How do those collaborations help?

One thing we always have to clear up with people is that we’re not watch dealers. We don’t hold inventory. We don’t want to deal with that. We’re writers. That said, we know more about watches than, say, a menswear buyer, so we try and help them and are essentially consultants for them.

So it’s a marketing thing for you.

It is. And the Pop Up Flea as well was total marketing. This past Pop Up we did $90,000 in revenue in three days, but that’s not our money. We don’t own these watches.

We take a margin [on what we sell], but it’s all about getting out in front of people. At the Pop Up we’re just there to talk about watches because there are a lot of people who are obsessed with them. When you meet someone equally obsessed, it’s like an instant bond. And if we’re there for no other reason than just to talk about watches that’s totally fine.

Describe your readership.

We’ve got a strong following. Our average follower is 34 years old. Average household income is over $250,000 and [the average reader] has a master’s degree. So it’s young wealthy guys. [It’s] 90 percent men that read us and listen to us.

That’s a strong demographic for advertisers. What’s your approach to advertising?

As soon as we stop being real with people, our influence will be gone. And we’re hyper-aware of that. We only take advertising money from brands that we believe in. If you see an ad on Hodinkee, it’s essentially me saying that I personally would wear that watch. So we actually turn down more ad money than we take.

I know you’re selling bands on the site, so there is some retail. Is Hodinkee going to move more in that direction?

The retail aspect of the site is there. I don’t even know what percentage of revenue it is; it’s not significant. It’s really just for fun and, again, to build the brand for Hodinkee. I met a guy who made custom leather straps and said, “Hey can you make me 50 of them?”, and people loved them. The first batch sold out in a day. We ordered 100 more and they sold out in another day.

And again I have no desire to sell watches or make watches, but now all of a sudden we have Hodinkee on the wrist of a few thousand people.

What other sites do you look to for inspiration in innovation and directions?

Michael Williams at A Continuous Lean is someone I consider a close friend, if not mentor. I immensely respect what he does in terms of collaborations and editorial. I’m close with the guys at Gear Patrol as well. Their design aesthetic is superb.

OM Malik, who started GigaOm. His business is different than mine. A lot of revenue comes from premier membership but in terms of an entrepreneur who has navigated the media landscape, I really have a lot of respect for him.

Can you give me background on the business? What do your revenues look like? Are you profitable?

We are certainly profitable. Revenue is in the six figures. It’s significant but, you know, I’m not Jay-Z. We’re doing okay enough for me to live in the West Village, to buy a nice watch every now and then and to pay another person. So we’re doing well. Again, I never thought this would be a business, so it’s a dream.

Do you have a vision for where the site will be in two years?

I want Hodinkee to be a driving force behind a renaissance of the watch in the Unites States, if not the world. That sounds grandiose but we’ve been successful because we write about things that are often perceived as pretentious, and slightly obnoxious, and ridiculously expensive and overpriced, in a way that explains them to normal people, that they can understand and appreciate them.

I want Hodinkee to be the go-to source for mechanical watches in general. And if anyone is talking about mechanical watches in New York or in Paris, I want us to be mentioned in the same breath, for them to say “Did you see the review on Hodinkee?”

Finally, what advice would you have for other entrepreneurs thinking about taking the leap and starting their own business?

My biggest piece of advice is just do it and just don’t worry about the business plans. If it’s a good idea, the money will come. It’s as simple as that.

 Images from the 2012 Pop Up Flea courtesy of Benjamin Clymer and Hodinkee. 

Image: A car is seen in the debris of a home that was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in Mantoloking, New Jersey November 12, 2012. REUTERS/Eric Thayer

Reuters: First off, can you define fiscal cliff for us?

Jeff Stibel: The U.S. Congress and President Obama created the “fiscal cliff” last year as they negotiated ways to lift the federal debt ceiling. The cliff causes two things to happen at midnight on December 31, 2012. First, a range of temporary tax cuts will expire as the Budget Control Act of 2011 goes into full effect. For American small businesses, this will mean the end of several key tax breaks and the imposition of new taxes. Secondly, mandatory budget cuts will be imposed at the federal level. The result has the U.S. economy – and, with it, U.S. businesses – hurdling towards its own cliff.

Reuters: I think a lot of people are aware of the fiscal cliff and its impact on taxes. What impact would it have on small businesses? And what do small businesses need to know about the fiscal cliff?

Stibel: Falling off the fiscal cliff could produce a recession and significantly contract credit markets, which would put additional strain on business owners. Banks cling to cash at any sign of instability. The fiscal cliff is creating that uncertainty, evidenced by steep market declines last week. It’s unfortunate that credit markets could tighten, since many small businesses can’t access capital. A recent study from Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business and Management and Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. discovered only a third of small businesses who sought loans actually secured them, a reminder that market conditions are already tough and getting tougher. We also expect to see consumer spending lag, as consumers may end up paying higher taxes, money a consumer might otherwise use for retail. The most important thing for small businesses is certainty – they need to know what they’re dealing with so they can make long-term decisions.

Reuters: What sort of, if any, small businesses will be initially impacted and/or impacted the most should the government fail to come to a compromise?

Stibel: The fiscal cliff is an across-the-board cut that will impact job creation and employment throughout the economy. Of course businesses that support federal contractors will feel the pain – but so will small businesses in the retail, travel and other sectors. Big corporations and small businesses alike will lower expectations for sales, investment and employment in the event of a jump off the fiscal cliff.

Reuters: Is there anything small businesses can do to prepare for the fiscal cliff? What would you advise small business owners to do right now?

Stibel: This is a great time for small business owners to clean up balance sheets, pay down debts and consider taking new loans. This is also a great opportunity for small businesses to make sure they’re caught up on bills and that they’ve checked their credit scores. These are vital indicators of health and, if the economy destabilizes, businesses can be sure that banks and other lenders will only want to do business with the most responsible, credit-worthy businesses.

Image: Handout courtesy of Jeff Stibel. 

HackFwd: Visualize Your Business Model in 15 Minutes Flat from IDEO on Vimeo.

First off, can you tell me about your disability?

I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis at 18 years old. It causes inflammation of the major joints. It’s a form of arthritis. It affects knees, ankles, shoulders. It was a very painful time for me. There are two forms that the disease can take. One is chronic and you lose function over years. The second form moves rapidly. This was the form I had and so I lost function over a matter of months. The major part of the disease burned itself out after about two years time. I was spared. I was essentially bedridden for two years time and as the major symptoms of the disease dissipated finally, I didn’t have any movement in my hip sockets and much secondary damage in the spine. I have limited neck rotation. Out of that experience I learned how to walk again using my knees and ankles.

Can you tell me about how you started your business? What was the attraction of the bike?

I had been working an active job at a small company as a plumber’s assistant and a salesman. I got promoted into dispatch which required a lot of time at a desk. I’ve always been skinny and the disease makes it difficult to stay strong and keep the weight on. When I sit still I don’t gain weight. So it was that promotion into that sedentary job that lead me to look for a way to build myself up.

Once day I was doing some research on the internet and I came across a YouTube video of a guy cranking a handcycle and I thought, “I could do that,” and “I could build that.” When I saw it I knew instantly that’s what I had to do. The first time I rode, I had such a sense of speed and freedom of movement, something I had missed for almost 20 years.

Once I got out in the handcycle racing world I saw that I could innovate. And that’s kind of the genesis of the company.

How long was it between the time you started cycling and when you started racing?

I had been cycling for about six months before I started competing. I didn’t know that handcycle racing existed at all let alone know the required specifications for the bike when I first designed and built it. After my first race I was really hooked on the racing. It gave me a goal to keep chasing, to keep pushing farther and farther and achieve larger goals mechanically and physically.

Are you a builder by trade?

Not a bicycle builder by trade, however I have always been a mechanic, am a self taught machinist, draftsman and designer.

Did you find building a bike intimidating?

I didn’t find it intimidating. My style of racing reflects my design work. When I race my goal is not to beat the guy next to me but rather to do better than I did before. My goal is to push farther out. I don’t see myself in a focused “race” with other manufacturers. Rather my goal is to concentrate on what already works, improve upon it and push further and do better.

Tell me about running a business and competing, how do you balance that?

As far as promotion they are symbiotic. From that first race I became known as that guy who built his own bike. As far as workload it is very challenging. When I’m training heavily I’m normally cycling three times a week and swimming twice a week. The training does dominate during the racing season. But I do spend time in the shop and and doing design work as well. The hard effort has paid off: Two weeks ago I took home a bronze and a silver from the USA Cycling Para-Cycling Nationals in Augusta, Georgia.

What challenges have you faced in your business? Handcycles seem like a very niche market. How are you able to cut costs and compete with larger companies?

I run a very small business. It’s very lean. The product is made on demand. As far as pricing. The structure in the market remains artificially high. The market is currently dominated by about five or six manufactures. For purposes of racing, handcycling is pretty much dominated by one company. And they have a monopoly on the domestic market currently.

Not only can I deliver on price – I can also deliver on customization. Typically, and it depends on the design, but typically a custom design can take three weeks to a month to complete. Previously built designs can take as little as a week. In the realm of handcycles, much of the hardware is custom built. It doesn’t exist in the world of able-bodied cycling, so it has to be fabricated.

Any major tips or things you‘ve learned along the way that you’d like to share?

For the majority of the jobs I’ve worked over my life have been at small companies so I have learned a bit about small business along the way. One of my main philosophies is to stay out of debt and not to be be overleveraged. One thing I’ve seen over and over is oftentimes a small business owner will get overly excited about expansion in their company. A lot of the times they’ll look back afterwards and say ‘that expansion project was premature.’

A lot of times when I invest in new hardware I have to ask myself if I really need this. Be wise about investments. Be sure to make sure investments don’t tie you down.

You just won a small business grant through the Hartford Achieve Without Limits Contest. Can you tell me about it?

Since winning the $10,000 grant money and then being named the winner of the trip to watch the London Paralympics my profile as a business has grown exponentially, that’s an understatement. I’ve even been asked if I’m looking for investors. Even in the para-cycling world, a lot of the guys I race with knew about the contest but as a consequence the publicity I had already established with them was amplified to an even greater degree.

I also used the grant money to upgrade the equipment in my shop, for example I purchased a powder-coat spray gun and built a powder-coat oven as local options for powder coating in my location were very limited. So I used the money from the Hartford to upgrade that. The money was also used to develop new design ideas and improve existing adaptive bicycle designs.

From the contest I’ve also learned the effectiveness of social media, because the contest happened and was promoted on Facebook. So don’t underestimate the power of social media – I’ve found it to be a very a great tool for promoting a small business.

Image: Courtesy of Greg Damerow