![\"IMG_0852\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/533\/2016\/08\/IMG_0852-1024x768.jpg\")
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That\u2019s a question I posed on my facebook page yesterday. \u00a0In hindsight, I should have specified, \u201cnot counting restaurants and service providers\u201d because it\u2019s not particularly out of the ordinary to patronize non-chain restaurants, and places like dry cleaners are still generally individually-owned, so some of my friends\u2019 replies were \u201clunch\u201d or \u201cthe parts for a luggage repair.\u201d \u00a0Others included sheet music, a bracelet, a handmade necklace, craft-show mittens and scarf, and Magic the Gathering cards.<\/p>\n
But the reality is that very few items are sold by small businesses any longer. \u00a0Our local \u201cdowntown\u201d once contained a used bookstore, a thrift store, a bicycle shop, an independent men\u2019s clothing shop \u2014 and that since we moved into the area in about 2000, so I\u2019m not being nostalgic about the distant past. \u00a0Now the businesses generally consist of restaurants, both individually owned and chains;\u00a0various upscale home decor and clothing boutiques that, to be honest, I\u2019ve never stepped foot in; and some service providers \u2014 banks, yoga and other fitness studios, a shoe repair shop. \u00a0The thrift shop moved to a larger location, but recently closed down because they couldn\u2019t compete with Goodwill and the Salvation Army. \u00a0The bookstore has been gone for a while now. \u00a0The bike shop\u2019s owners closed with the statement that they needed to get 9-5 jobs for the sake of their family. \u00a0(Though, to be sure, there are still other nearby bike shops which are locally-owned.) \u00a0The clothing shop\u2019s owner retired. \u00a0And so on. \u00a0Now it seems like, with few exceptions (the Magic the Gathering cards seem about right \u2013 comic books and specialized games still seem to be sold largely by small business owners), our encounters with small businesses are more likely to be crafters, or etsy or e-bay sellers.<\/p>\n
But maybe your experiences are different. \u00a0Please share!<\/p>\n
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Image: \u00a0yes, this is from our London trip \u2013 Waterloo Street, in particular \u2013 not our own town. \u00a0Though, in my defense, we did have a yarn shop in town for a while, before it closed up and the space became a martial arts studio, I think.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
That\u2019s a question I posed on my facebook page yesterday. \u00a0In hindsight, I should have specified, \u201cnot counting restaurants and service providers\u201d because it\u2019s not particularly out of the ordinary to patronize non-chain restaurants, and places like dry cleaners are still generally individually-owned, so some of my friends\u2019 replies were \u201clunch\u201d or \u201cthe parts for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":5049,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[507],"class_list":["post-5715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-small-business"],"yoast_head":"\n