mom and pop

plural mom and pops · alternative Mom and Pop · alternative mom-and-pop · alternative Mom-and-Pop

1. informalbusinessA small business, often but not always owned or operated by a family.
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see mom, and, pop.

   Also, love for mom and pop.

   1952 November 24, “Religion”, in Time: The Weekly Newsmagazine, volume LX, number 21, Chicago, Ill.: Time Inc., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 76, column 2

alternative Mom and Pop · alternative mom-and-pop · alternative Mom-and-Pop

1. alternativenot comparableAlternative form of mom-and-pop.

   Did he eat at local mom and pop diners or national chains?

   2016, Steven M. Studebaker, “Global Leadership Without Hubris”, in A Pentecostal Political Theology for American Renewal: Spirit of the Kingdoms, Citizens of the Cities (Christianity and Renewal – Interdisciplinary Studies), →ISBN, part III (The Spirit and National Renewal), page 229

   2 more examples

   In the past ten years or so, there has been an explosion of restaurants. This is a very welcome development, as the art of fine dining has spread to areas that previously only had mom and pop diners or substandard steakhouses.

   1997, Bradley S. O’Leary, “What Makes a Restaurant Romantic?”, in Dining by Candlelight: America’s 200 Most Romantic Restaurants, Austin, Tex.: Boru Publishing, →ISBN, page xxi

   McDonald’s and Burger King have pretty much wiped out the mom and pop diners; […]

   1998, Ed Gorman, chapter 4, in Cage of Night, →ISBN, page 33

1. alternativenot comparableAlternative form of mom-and-pop.

   The only rule was we were to eat no fast food, and at no franchises. So we lived on Mom and Pop diners and local restaurants.

   2014, Gern f. Vlchek, “The Flying J”, in Turn Right, Turn Left, Repeat: Life on the Road for the Canadian Indie Band, London, Ont.: Insomniac Press, →ISBN, “Manitoba” section, pages 204–205

   3 more examples

   These family wineries had even less direct consumer contact than the Mom and Pop businesses. […] Problems also plagued California’s winery co-ops, which did just about as poorly as Mom and Pop and small family operations.

   1994, Jay Stuller, Glen Martin, “The Old Guard”, in Through the Grapevine: The Real Story Behind America’s $8 Billion Wine Industry, New York, N.Y.: HarperCollinsWest, →ISBN, section 2 (A Ripening Industry), pages 89–90

   The Road—a string of black asphalt winding through mountains, then, framed by golden wheat, stretching as far as the eye can see, mile after mile past lives of everyday folks just like us, past hitchhikers trying to convey with a look and a thumb why they are worthy of a ride, past Mom and Pop diners, Texaco gas stations, and fast food drive-throughs.

   2003, Marnie Sperry, “The Road”, in Pebbles, the Thunderbird Writers’ Group, The Barmaid, the Bean Counter, and the Bungee Jumper: A Collection of Short Stories and Poetry, Carmel, Calif.: Thunderbird Publishing, →ISBN, page 24

   Mom and Pop record stores are particularly important to the Soul music market because a much higher percent of Soul product is purchased through them than is the case with White or Pop music.

   2017, Marnie Tattersall, “‘Discount Record Stores’”, in Logan H. Westbrooks, Lance A. Williams, The Anatomy of a Record Company: How to Survive the Record Business, 2nd edition, Los Angeles, Calif.: Ascent Book Publishing, →ISBN, Addendum, page 332

plural Mom and Pops

1. alternativeAlternative form of mom and pop.

   The new supermarkets were killing the Mom and Pops, and centralized purchasing would help them compete.

   1990, J. L. Chestnut, Jr.; Julia Cass, “My Dreams”, in Black in Selma: The Uncommon Life of J. L. Chestnut, Jr.: Politics and Power in a Small American Town, New York, N.Y.: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, part 1 (1930–1958), page 63

   4 more examples

   Most of these wineries folded, sold out, or merged with others, although when compared to the Mom and Pops, a slightly higher percentage survived.

   1994, Jay Stuller, Glen Martin, “The Old Guard”, in Through the Grapevine: The Real Story Behind America’s $8 Billion Wine Industry, New York, N.Y.: HarperCollinsWest, →ISBN, section 2 (A Ripening Industry), page 90

   But put a Target, JC Penney or Wal-Mart in an existing downtown, and you draw even more traffic to the merchants occupying the adjacent streets. Then, instead of killing Mom-and-Pop stores, they’d present the Mom and Pops with enlarged opportunities for profit.

   2008 June 14, “Our Opinion: Dreaming of Wal-Mart”, in The Brooklyn Paper, Brooklyn Heights–Downtown edition, volume 31, number 24, Brooklyn, N.Y., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 14, column 3

   I will tell you that that is of great concern because particularly for the smaller chains or the Mom and Pops, you know, they just don’t have the ability to get that information out there if they can’t put it on the internet.

   2013 November 14, Morgan Griffith, quotee, The Impact of Patent Assertion Entities on Innovation and the Economy: Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Energy and Commerce […] (Serial No. 113–96), Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, published 2014, →OCLC, page 76

   Currently CRG owns record retail outlets in various cities, but none in the ghetto areas of these cities. At first glance it would seem that establishing these stores in ghetto areas would only succeed in putting the Mom and Pops out of business, while creating unneeded ill-will and trouble.

   2017, Marnie Tattersall, “‘Discount Record Stores’”, in Logan H. Westbrooks, Lance A. Williams, The Anatomy of a Record Company: How to Survive the Record Business, 2nd edition, Los Angeles, Calif.: Ascent Book Publishing, →ISBN, Addendum, page 332