I take umbrage at the malling of America. It should be said that this opinion is voiced from a subjective point of view, as I personally have a small shop in New York City, so I offer no apologies.

In England, a campaign has been fervently launched and avidly supported to champion small shops in London, where over 7,000 have closed in the past 6 years. The flavour of world domination doesn’t taste good in the political environment, so why should it be acceptable in the economic/retail world we live in? In New York City, in Paris, in London, in any small town on the planet, the unique appeal of interesting little shops that we stumble upon with glee only heightens the experience. Luminescent candy shops, curious antique shops, cunning local design houses are all purveyors of the one-of-a-kind treasure found only there.

Prince Charles firmly believes that small shops are a core element that generate jobs and economics. Oh, what I would give for our own Prince in America, to rally for us, the independents. The government in Britain is planning to eliminate tax breaks for landlords that deliberately keep empty spaces vacant. Hello, New York, can we hear a ‘Yay’ to that one, please.

Can we garner the shopping public from the majors, to love the gems in their own neighbourhoods? Small shops offer that happy surprise that makes you gasp in delight when you find a special item. Local butchers deal with you, not the next guy in line. Local bookshops delight in perusing their titles for that one author you want to read. Small boutiques carry select merchandise, not rack-worn multiples of items you’ve seen everywhere. Bring the dog, we always have treats.

My time spent in Europe for graduate study shopping, ahem, research led me to the back streets and cubby holes from Paris to Brighton. The sense of a people can be perceived in the marketplaces, the offbeat, the unusual, not the mainstream.The joys found in small shops cannot be replaced by the atmosphere pervasive in most multi-national chainstores.

A retail shopper sitting at home sees the easy way out in going to a mall. Brand names, cloned displays, and repetitious product actually appeal to some people. Not I, said the cookie, to the cookie jar. And not to my customers. The customer at Ellen Christine Millinery comes in to see the new, the delightfully unexpected. Our custom service concocts that figment from your imagination, and turns it into a hat.

This core customer base that clutches their individuality to their bosom is what keeps small shops alive. It’s why small shops exist, and must continue to exist. The fire, the imagination, and the creativity we proffer is seen in unique Parisian boutiques. It’s seen on the High Street in any town in Great Britain, and on Main Streets across America.

Support our Small Shops, the new campaign for the New Year!

Image courtesy of LWY