3 ms·

The two go together, of course. In places where rent is cheap, more kinds of businesses are viable, because surviving is easier. Also I suspect a lot of places

The two go together, of course. In places where rent is cheap, more kinds of businesses are viable, because surviving is easier. Also I suspect a lot of places have really loose ideas about zoning, so a person might live in the back or above their store. Don't see much of that in the US.

munificent 3y ago
> In places where rent is cheap, more kinds of businesses are viable, because surviving is easier. Rent goes down, but so does income when there are fewer people nearby to visit the business. It's not clear to me which factor dominates. My impression is that often the lack of customers is the main factor: small towns rarely have lots of quirky niche stores unless they happen to be a satellite to a larger metro area. I suspect specifics of zoning laws or other factors (demographics of nearby metro areas, taxes, etc.) end up determining which effect matters more. > Don't see much of that in the US. I think that depends a lot on where you are. I see a ton of 5-over-1s here in Seattle [1] and those often have retail on the bottom floor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-over-1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-over-1
- kevinmchugh 3y ago
  Yeah, if you want quirky stores you need density and low rent. I think this happens in lots of urban Asia as talked about above, if I understand correctly? What I'm thinking of fellas pretty different from 5 over 1s. Three retail on a 5 over 1 is like, a chipotle or a Starbucks. In Mexico and Ecuador I've seen a little restaurant or convenience store where the owner lives upstairs, opens when she wants, closes when she wants, may or may not employee anyone. Or I've got a friend here in Chicago whose apartment used to have an extra wall separating the front room from the rest of the floor. It had been a doctor's offic in front and residence in back, a hundred years ago. That's illegal these days.

munificent 3y ago

> In places where rent is cheap, more kinds of businesses are viable, because surviving is easier. Rent goes down, but so does income when there are fewer people nearby to visit the business. It's not clear to me which factor dominates. My impression is that often the lack of customers is the main factor: small towns rarely have lots of quirky niche stores unless they happen to be a satellite to a larger metro area. I suspect specifics of zoning laws or other factors (demographics of nearby metro areas, taxes, etc.) end up determining which effect matters more. > Don't see much of that in the US. I think that depends a lot on where you are. I see a ton of 5-over-1s here in Seattle [1] and those often have retail on the bottom floor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-over-1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5-over-1

kevinmchugh 3y ago
Yeah, if you want quirky stores you need density and low rent. I think this happens in lots of urban Asia as talked about above, if I understand correctly? What I'm thinking of fellas pretty different from 5 over 1s. Three retail on a 5 over 1 is like, a chipotle or a Starbucks. In Mexico and Ecuador I've seen a little restaurant or convenience store where the owner lives upstairs, opens when she wants, closes when she wants, may or may not employee anyone. Or I've got a friend here in Chicago whose apartment used to have an extra wall separating the front room from the rest of the floor. It had been a doctor's offic in front and residence in back, a hundred years ago. That's illegal these days.