Making it on Main St.: Even in this tough economy, these Pepperell business owners are happy to be living the dream to be their own boss [The Sun, Lowell, Mass.]

Feb. 16--PEPPERELL -- Derek Ten Broeck's day starts at 6 sharp every morning when he sips freshly brewed coffee at a corner table in the Pepperell Spa with six friends. A builder. An office worker. A former elected town official. The regulars at the diner stream in one by one, prompting Ten Broeck and his friends to take a break from discussing the town budget and world problems to say hello.

Only when the timing seems right does Ten Broeck ask patrons if they've ever thought about having someone look at their insurance policies to make sure they are getting the biggest bang for the premiums.

On their way out, some tell him with a hint of envy: "It must be nice; you don't have a 45-minute commute."

That's right, Ten Broeck says, "I'm already at work."

It's been four years since Ten Broeck started Ten Broeck Insurance Group with a virtual office consisting of a laptop and cell phone. With a growing clientele, Ten Broeck is surviving in downtown Pepperell during one of the worst recessions in the country's history.

And he's not alone. He points to Tracie Ezzio of Pepperell Family Pharmacy on Main Street and Cathy Maine, owner of Pet-i-cure pet grooming salon in Paugus Mall, as others in town who built their own businesses after working several years in their respective industries for someone else.

Ezzio, who opened the Pepperell Family Pharmacy on Main Street 2 1/2 years ago, tends to a constant stream of customers during her 12-hour workday.

The pharmacy is now constructing an addition to double its square footage.

"It has been way beyond what I expected," Ezzio said of the business growth. After an initial "surge" of customers, Ezzio said she has had a steady but unpredictable growth. Then, new clients started flooding in again late last year when the pharmacy began its expansion project.

"(People) were afraid that I would come and not be able to compete against the big chains," Ezzio said. "But, since we put an addition,

many people realized I am here to stay."

A few blocks down Main Street, Pet-i-cure keeps busy taking care of local residents' four-legged family members. The business that started in 1998 moved from one commercial space to another on the main drag of town four times over the years, and it grew bigger each time.

Owner Cathy Maine felt so optimistic about her future last year that she added a pet-supply retail element to the salon in July. The same month, her husband, Bill, who had worked for Conway Chevrolet-Buick in town as a salesman, also joined the family business.

"We took a chance on this town," Cathy Maine said, looking back on her dozen years in business. "The town here has welcomed us, and I've been growing since."

The recession has hit hard, particularly on America's downtowns that had already been struggling, according to Dave Manley, chairman of the Northeast Massachusetts Chapter of Service Corps of Retired Executives, a national small-business mentoring organization. But some do succeed.

While some consumers always shop for the best price, he said, others love the convenience of running errands close by.

If a business owner can offer what locals need for reasonably competitive prices, it goes a long way, especially in the midst of the "buy local" movement, Manley said.

"The key is, you need something unique and nichey," Manley said, speculating that the Pepperell business owners must have gotten it.

Maine, who had worked as an independent contractor at a Nashua grooming salon for years, and Ezzio, who worked for McNabb Pharmacy in Pepperell and Townsend for a total of 25 years, both admit they first struggled to juggle the workload and family obligations.

Ten Broeck, who left his previous job with an agreement to stay away from his clients for two years, said he liquidated some of his mutual funds to support his family.

But each got through by believing that the town needed them. Maine said she opened her store here because there was no groomer in town. When Ezzio started her pharmacy, it had been 12 years since McNabb and Babineau pharmacies in Pepperell were both bought out by what is now Rite Aid.

Ezzio, who knows all the customers' names and their prescriptions by heart, says many patrons had wanted that kind of personal attention they could not get at big box stores.

Ten Broeck, who started his career as an agent for McDuffy Insurance Agency in town and then worked for Brown & Brown when it bought out McDuffy, now has a spacious office on Cottage Street just off Main Street. Lisa Proulx, with whom Ten Broeck had worked for years, joined his company as the benefits specialist in 2008.

These entrepreneurs all take pride in establishing themselves as Pepperell businesses serving Pepperell people.

"My success has been all about building relationships," says Ten Broeck, who takes time to get to know people until they trust him someone who has their best interests in mind.

Every morning, Broeck hits two "hot spots" to meet the locals -- Pepperell Spa and Dunkin' Donuts on Main Street -- and strikes up conversations with strangers.

Ten Broeck said he wouldn't say his business is "thriving" yet but is definitely "headed in the right direction."

He said small towns have enough room for new entrepreneurs to put down roots and grow. And he enjoys having control over his life as a business owner.

"Everybody is a potential new client," Ten Broeck said. "I can work in my hometown, and I can go to all my kids' events, whether it's soccer, lacrosse or a PTA conference."

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