Following on my griping about the Shoppersization of Canadian
downtowns, this Economist article reminded me of the broader trends that have helped boost Shoppers’ ubiquity. We don’t really go downtown to buy things anymore.
It’s not just that we’re buying more stuff
online. It’s that many of those things that are best suited for online shopping—music,
collectibles, books and periodicals—have also provided the best “third spaces” where
enthusiasts can loiter and bump into other like-minded people—the reasons why people have loved shopping downtown. Bookstores, music stores, collectible boutiques and magazine
stands are places where browsing without purpose can be a form of identity
expression. Their disappearance (into the digital economy) is changing the character
of our commercial streets, especially as more mission-driven shopping (hardware,
household goods—stuff that can't be “dematerialized”) moves online and to
big box outlets beyond our downtowns.
But wait—our downtown streets seem to be as lively
as ever before. I think that’s because the rise of restaurant culture and burgeoning
neighbourhood bar scenes have filled in the gap.
Storefronts where retailers used to sell "things" are now occupied by businesses offering experiences. The customers who produce “the scene” are
as much the product as the food or beverages. Deprived of being able to loiter
in the Heavy Metal section of a local music shop, we find a restaurant or bar that,
through other means, puts us in close proximity with our demographic. We eat or drink together, rather than shop together.
Perhaps we’re looking at a world where there
is little downtown retail other than convenience and food shopping. Thus the
rise of Shoppers as a place to buy things you won’t travel any distance for (toilet paper, shampoo)
or can’t wait to be delivered (drugs, a soft drink on a hot day).
What will keep our downtowns fun is discovering the next hot food trend, not hanging
around in Sam the Record Man all day. It's a tastier pastime but, compared to the browsing the CD bins, a pricier one.
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