Change in general is an inevitable process. Everything and everyone is constantly evolving and adapting to external and internal pressures, which sometimes creates a positive outcome and other times not so much. In the case of local shopping streets, change cannot be stopped. Technology is constantly evolving and continuously becoming a more central part of our lives. As we learned a couple of weeks ago in our trip to Civic Hall, services are being created that simply did not exist before. Along with high tech products comes a change in aesthetic. As described in Global Cities, Local Streets, “cheap” stores that once were popular on Orchard Street were replaced with “vintage” shops with exposed brick walls. Rents are increasing due to a variety of factors, leading to the closing of many immigrant shops.
Technology has caused a shift in the appearance and operation of physical stores. Many companies are labeling themselves as “tech companies” instead of traditionally labeling themselves after what they actually produce, such as pizza. However, technology (the internet) has created an entirely online shopping street where products are often offered for cheaper. This obviously does not bode well for store keepers as they are competing with global companies that have more resources. The only real ways a business can compete with such an entity is to offer a completely unique product, experience or environment or enter the online realm as well. Yelp as well as Twitter and Instagram can be vital for a business. These platforms can be used to gain a following and hopefully make the store more hip and trendy, creating more revenue.
Retail chains are another huge factor in the decrease of “mom-and-pop” shops. Due to changes in zoning laws and the allowance of government Kmart and Target have infiltrated the city. I usually avoid these chains like the plague but I have to own up to occasionally buying a pint of “Ben and Jerry’s” at Target when it is five dollars. The price is too good to pass up, but everytime I make this choice instead of going to a local ice cream shop I support a corporation with a vast amount of resources and connections and the ability to drive local businesses out of the neighborhood.
Overall, the future is not looking very bright. Some hope lies in the willingness of shoppers and storeowners to work with each other. This can be difficult as many people, especially immigrants, are distrustful of the government (rightly so) and sometimes each other. Perhaps if the BID (business improvement district) focused more on the preservation of local landmark businesses instead of trying to transform a neighborhood into the next Orchard Street, the “authenticity” of NYC would not disappear so quickly.
I agree that BIDs should take it as their mission to help small stores to survive. But according to New York State law, BIDs represent building owners–i.e. landlords–at least as much as business owners. So if landlords want commercial tenants that will pay higher rents, the BIDs will support them. I’m sure that some people would argue against the government’s intervening to oppose “market forces” because it violates constitutional guarantees of property rights.