Our columnist, Ed Avis, executive director of the National Costumers Association, is looking at ways in which bricks and mortar costume stores can maintain their importance over the coming year.
“Everyone hates the dead downtown. You know what I’m talking about – rows of empty stores broken up by a seedy bar or two, maybe a liquor store or gas station. Those are the skeletal remains of once-thriving commercial districts that were severely injured years ago by suburban balls and big box stores and then, later, finished off by the internet.
“Some communities have managed to keep their towns more alive, and a key component of those is interesting retail. In other words, stores that sell products that cannot be found in the boring malls or Walmarts or Targets, or in some cases, even Amazon. These are typically small merchants selling products that are not mass produced. These products are either entirely unique – such as pieces of art – or they come from artisanal suppliers who are more interested in crafting quality goods than selling pallet-loads to chain stores.
To read Ed’s full column in the digital issue of Progressive Party Europe, simply click here.
