All I see around me is mom and pop stores struggling and big business thriving. I ask myself why are all these quaint, authentic shops closing? It’s an easy answer, the “big guns” are taking over!

Amazon and Walmart along with other large-scale retail chains are taking over communities at a rapid pace. They are situated locally so we feel like were “shopping local” but in fact the money is going into deep pockets far beyond our communities and country to be cashed in.

Small business (run by your average business person) cannot compete with these mega giants who buy bulk shitty-made products, that can be sold a rock bottom prices. They have marketing teams that not only watch your every move (literally) but plan their stores and your online shopping experience based on it. They may even know your name and have your preference information down to a T but I ask, do they actually know you? In some cases maybe yes if you are a frequent shopper but online is a definite NO.

It is really sad to me that the local forested area near my home is now a giant Amazon warehouse and right next to it real soon will be a mega dump which will attempt to recycle all commercial throw-aways from “these bigger businesses”. I opened a vintage store for many reasons – to be environmentally friendly, to create a source of good quality product and to put a focus on not needing to always go into the City for items.

I truly believe we need more community-run businesses and less big business in our lives.