What’s great about it? How does it compare with chain stores that have locations in many places?
Look at the photo above. What elements draw your attention? Have you been in stores that remind you of this one?
What are your favorite local stores, restaurants or other kinds of services? To answer, consider businesses that are unique to your neighborhood or city — not stores like Target that can be found everywhere.
In “Casa Magazines Has Seen It All,” Kate Dwyer writes about the store pictured above, which sells newspapers and magazines. It opened in 1994 in the West Village of Manhattan, and remains “a pillar of the neighborhood.” The article describes some of the relationships that have developed there between the staff and customers:
On Saturday and Sunday mornings, nearby residents gather at the store for their morning paper and a coffee from La Bonbonniere, the cash-only diner down the block. “If I didn’t show up, they would call me and be like, ‘Where are you?’” said Alison Benson, a television producer who keeps a spare set of keys at Casa.
Twenty years ago, when she was starting her career, she said, “I would go into the shop, and they would be like, ‘Oh, this is Alison, she’s working in TV and film. Alison, you should meet Sheila, she’s a big producer.’ They were like the ultimate connectors on all things.” (Now, Mr. Ahmed and his assistant manager, Syed Khalid Wasim, known as Ali, refer 20-somethings to Ms. Benson.)
Ms. David attested to the familiarity between the shop’s managers and its patrons. “It’s like a confessional box,” she said. “I’ve seen people tell Mohammed all these secrets. The secrets of the Village!”
Luis Lopez, a driver on the M12 bus route, which starts outside the store, often pals around with Mr. Wasim between loops. “We do skits all the time,” Mr. Lopez said.
“It feels like a grown-up Sesame Street,” said Nicolas Heller, a documentarian who shares stories about the city on his Instagram account @newyorknico.
William Grand, a D.J. who manufactures Casa’s merchandise through his company Neighborhood Spot, described Mr. Ahmed using a laser pointer to help shoppers navigate the inventory from his perch behind the counter. “They have over 2,000 titles, but he knows exactly where stuff is,” he said.
Julianne Moore would bring her children to browse every week while they were growing up. “Ali in particular was always giving my kids candy,” the Oscar-winning actress said, adding that the managers “always remember you.”
“Also,” Ms. Moore noted, “as an actor, if you end up on the cover of something and you’re a local, they’ll put 15 of those magazines in the window. It’s really sweet.”
Students, read the entire article, then tell us:
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Would you want to visit Casa Magazines? Does it remind you of any store or other kind of business you have been in? Why?
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Are you a “regular” at any businesses in your area? How often do you go? Do you recognize some of the people who work there? Do they remember you, too?
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What would you say is your favorite local store, restaurant, coffee shop, or other kind of business? For example, maybe you regularly get your nails done at the same salon, or maybe there’s a bookstore or outdoor gear store you like. What is great about this place?
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Do you know any stories of customers who supported local shops, restaurants or other businesses during the pandemic, the way customers at Casa Magazines and La Bonbonniere did? Have those businesses survived the pandemic so far?
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Would you ever want to work at a local store or business? If so, which, and why? Have you ever had a job in retail? What was it like? Did you get to know regular customers?
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What are the advantages to shopping in small, locally owned businesses instead of in big chains? The disadvantages? Which do you prefer? Why?
Want more writing prompts? You can find all of our questions in our Student Opinion column. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom.
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public.
"local" - Google News
November 16, 2021 at 05:00PM
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What’s Your Favorite Local Business? - The New York Times
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