Why Shopping Small and Local Still Matters (Even in the Age of Online Shopping)
From BookTok bookstores to neighborhood markets, brick-and-mortar is making a comeback, and where we spend our money matters more than we think.
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The Decline of Brick-and-Mortar
From 2009 to 2020, Barnes and Noble closed over half of their New York based locations, leading to a total of 150 store closures nationwide. With Amazon on the rise, it was looking quite grim for the store I could easily spend my whole paycheck in.
The Pandemic Pivot
Then in 2020, Covid hit. Online shopping shot up because, well, no one could go anywhere. During 2020’s second quarter, Amazon’s year-over-year sales increased significantly. The company reported quarterly revenues that exceeded expectations, and its profits nearly tripled compared to the year before.
What, at first, looked like a permanent shift to online shopping quickly became something different. The world rallied behind neighborhood small businesses, and with TikTok’s algorithm making it possible for anything to go viral, and so many people spending time scrolling due to having to stay inside, small businesses found new audiences they’d never had access to before.
