Bricks, with books for mortar.
I’m happy to announce that (drum roll, please!) a new page, Bricks and Mortar, has been added to my website. You can find it here: https://www.susandmatley.com/bricks-and-mortar/. The page is dedicated to the virtues of in-person shopping, the courage of those who risk their assets to create brick and mortar stores and the benefit we all gain from interacting with other people, face-to-face.
The launch is timely. I heard just this morning that the Millennial Generation is making an interesting shift. These youngish adults (birth years ranging from early 1980s to early 2000s) are starting a migration from gentrified city neighborhoods back to the suburbs. Yes, the suburbs!
The attractions that are drawing these mellowing hipsters away from exciting urban life are homes designed for families and good school districts. Yup, the kids are growing up and having kids of their own. I can’t help but hope that vacant storefronts will be occupied again, that small commercial districts will once more anchor bedroom communities into towns and cities. A retro fan myself, I hope the hipsters will teach their children the joy of buying goods from real, live people instead of letting the retail aspect of their humanity drip away, drop by drop, over the Internet. If these new utopias include a local book store, so much the better!
That’s the sermon, and I won’t deny that I’ve given the independent brick and mortar stores that stock Small-g City a special boost by listing them at the bottom of the new page. Now I’ll go one step more. Presenting (trumpet fanfare, please!) a new contest!
Bricks and Mortar Contest
Do you have a favorite brick and mortar book store? If so, I’d love to hear about it. Here’s the pitch:
What: Describe your favorite brick and mortar book store in 100 words or less.
When: The contest is open March 1-April 30, 2016
What you get: The winner gets a one pound box of Bright’s chocolates direct from Walla Walla and . . . the winner’s favorite book store will receive 6 signed copies of Small-g City (free of charge) for their inventory enjoyment, plus a printed copy of the winning entry so they’ll know who loves them.
How: Submit your entry at the Contact page of my website: https://www.susandmatley.com/contact/
And Don’t Forget
The Small-g City “my favorite character” contest closes at midnight, PST, February 29, 2016. Odds of winning are much higher than Powerball. Details at:
https://www.susandmatley.com/events/contest-deadline-february-29/
