Comments on: (not so) random links

By: tricia

tricia — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:56:35 +0000

miss fitz: i feel like a lot of those stores, the overabundance of retail, was added in the run-up to this economic crash, during the boom years. case in point: i moved to orlando, florida in the mid-80s with my family, and after we got past the recession in the early 90s, i remember seeing the whole central florida area boom like CRAZY. tons of neighborhoods being built, strip malls as far as the eye could see. i moved away from that area in about 1998, and every single time i go back, or had gone back up until this past year, the area was more and more developed. 10 targets in a given area and stuff like that.

i think the leveling out is good…moderation is in order. not giving up on shopping and living and enjoying life altogether, but, perhaps thinking more carefully about what we spend, and how we spend it. something of that nature, you know?

By: miss fitz

miss fitz — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:48:59 +0000

Maybe retail had gotten way out of control before though? Maybe too much luxury and extravagance had become the norm and people were buying and coveting more than they needed or could afford? How many Target stores does a city need? How many pet fashion stores does my Chicago neighborhood in 60622 need? I can think of 12 off the top of my head. Cutting back isn’t the problem; it’s the excess that dominated years past that’s now just leveling out. As someone who lost a job last year, I feel for those out of work because shoppers cut back. But enough shopping already!

By: *emy

*emy — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:02:16 +0000

I live in the downtown SF too! I walk down Geary st everyday to drop-off/pick-up my daughter from school and am AMAZED by the amount of new shops that have opened in the last 6 months or about to open!!! And all seem to be begging for shoppers!!! I would like to think that it’s just the time of day ( noon and then again at 4pm )that people just aren’t shopping at those times but seeing as they are advertising 60% off this early in the “spring” season, that might just be hopeful thinking. I personally try not to buy new clothes but get sad when I see a store close its door! So I’m sending good vibes to Flippa K, Paul Smith, and Shotwell!

Thanks for all the links!
*e

By: Shay

Shay — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:45:28 +0000

I live in Vancouver BC which is a weird little bubble in the midst of what’s going on in the world right now. As we’re expecting the 2010 winter olympics next year, there are new shops opening everywhere and a massive construction boom. It all feels quite false, and I worry that we’ll have that much further to fall when the games are over.

By: ambika

ambika — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 19:59:04 +0000

Bookmarking that ruffle necklace. That is too neat.

I’ve definitely noticed a lot of businesses in my neighborhood closing but they’re not necessarily boutiques. Shopping is down, period and for the few who have expendable income there are some insane deals out there.

By: Lizzy

Lizzy — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:45:17 +0000

The shopping areas here still seem busy but I think people are either browsing or just buying less, on weekends in particular. I also think a lot of people are becoming much more savvy about online shopping and buying secondhand (charity shops, eBay etc) rather than it being something just a few people do. Here in the UK several chains have gone out of business which is sad from a nostalgia point of view but IMO some of them just didn’t move with the times while similar stores did.

By: emily august

emily august — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:23:49 +0000

In regards to the recession article:

“In the ultimate hipster sacrifice, an indie sneaker store in Soho has put up the sign reading we have uggs.” Brilliant.

Also, my roommate works at Joe, The Art of Coffee with the owner who was quoted in the article so that was kind of funny.

By: lefiffy

lefiffy — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:08:22 +0000

I’m located in Cologne/Germany and it’s merely the same over here.
Shortly before Christmas H&M handed out a 10 Euro vouchers for every purchase over 50 Euros and they never did anything like that before. American Apparel offers 20% off every item for students.
Big old German department stores close down and several shoe stores offer buy a pair, get one free.
A lot of little shops in my neighborhood are closing down as well while at the same time the thrift shops seem to become more popular. :/

By: Sal

Sal — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:05:19 +0000

Here in Minneapolis, sales are the main indicator. Most shops still seem to be getting decent foot traffic, and the malls are packed … but the after Christmas sales are still going, and it’s nearly March.

By: Casey

Casey — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:47:44 +0000

Ive been noticing the same downturn where I live as well. Although every time I go to the shopping mall, it seems *packed* with shoppers, and some stores like F21, Victoria’s Secret, and even Coach seem to be doing a booming business. Yet the department stores are quite bare. I would suspect that two types of stores will survive this downturn: the high-end retailers (because luxury will once again return to something just for the wealthy, rather than the free-for-all it was just a few years ago) who have a niche already, and lower-end chains (such as F21) that have an edge in the market with trendy clothes that are geared towards the younger, fashion-hip crowd.

Thanks for the link to my blog, btw!