The local American landscape is becoming increasingly homogenous. Mom and pop businesses are harder to find amongst the development of shopping centers and familiar corporate franchises. With the replacement of small businesses with big businesses a city cultivates a particular kind of relationship between customer and staff. It can also create a particular street scape and service model local people begin to expect. As our local landscapes become increasingly branded by the familiar corporate chains, smaller franchises begin to create brands which attempt to recreate the authenticity of the mom-and-pop experience. Rudy’s barbershop in Seattle Washington is a good example of this experience. But where are the mom-and-pop stores in your neighborhood? And what are we loosing when these quirky and at times dysfunctional businesses are unable to hold their own in the face of corporate development?
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