I experienced ‘genuine local distinctiveness’ characterised by history, community and relationships in some recent work with a NFP, one of the longest serving (over 40 years) in the region, operating from a historic building that has been a hive of community activity for over 120 years. The building originally served as the local co-op set up by miners and pioneers in a frontier town to assist workers in affordable goods/groceries and later playing a vital role in supporting working class families during industrial strikes in the 1920s. Without even knowing it’s history, I could feel its distinctiveness as soon as I walked in the door.
Same thing happened to Tablet Hotels which I used to love for its small curatorship and independence in its recommendations, now with Michelin and nothing like its former self (although my recent customer service issue was resolved well). There is a definite hole in the market for those niche travel businesses that are not beholden to corporate giants and are committed to genuine independence from kick-backs. Thanks for the excellent post, as usual, and stay cool!
I do hope you find more than just individual book shops but other unique shopping experiences. The bland high street with all the usual major brands is a depressing sight!
I experienced ‘genuine local distinctiveness’ characterised by history, community and relationships in some recent work with a NFP, one of the longest serving (over 40 years) in the region, operating from a historic building that has been a hive of community activity for over 120 years. The building originally served as the local co-op set up by miners and pioneers in a frontier town to assist workers in affordable goods/groceries and later playing a vital role in supporting working class families during industrial strikes in the 1920s. Without even knowing it’s history, I could feel its distinctiveness as soon as I walked in the door.
Same thing happened to Tablet Hotels which I used to love for its small curatorship and independence in its recommendations, now with Michelin and nothing like its former self (although my recent customer service issue was resolved well). There is a definite hole in the market for those niche travel businesses that are not beholden to corporate giants and are committed to genuine independence from kick-backs. Thanks for the excellent post, as usual, and stay cool!
Interesting—- I thought of Tablet as well —- used to use them a lot. I’m just as likely to use http://booking.com nowadays.
I do hope you find more than just individual book shops but other unique shopping experiences. The bland high street with all the usual major brands is a depressing sight!
We could apply that to our own lives, Andrew. How am I living with all three?
Thanks. Kim