E-Paper
US man laments decline of local shops in America, praises Europe’s walkable street culture. Video
A US man shared a video comparing Europe's local shops to America's chain stores, saying the US has lost the essence of community-based shopping.
A US-based content creator named Adam, known as ‘trvlking’ on Instagram, has sparked an online discussion after posting a video lamenting the disappearance of locally-owned shops in America.
(Also read: ‘Magnets abroad feel stronger’: Indian man in Sweden on why NRIs don’t return)
In the video, Adam remarks, “America has lost the art of the mom-and-pop shop. In America, when you want coffee, you go to Starbucks. If you want art supplies, you go to Walmart. If you want fruit and vegetables, you probably also go to Walmart. But here in Europe and other places too, you have these small locally-owned shops for almost anything you can think of.”
Europe’s walkable variety, America’s corporate sprawl
He walks through a street, pointing to different niche shops — “Fruit and vegetables here. A store for everything plastic. And your local coffee shop.” He adds, “The craziest part is that almost all of these things are usually within a 10 or 15-minute walk. The American mind cannot comprehend this.”
Take a look here at the clip:
Caption fuels nostalgia for lost neighbourhood culture
In the caption of his post, Adam expands on his sentiment: “America has lost the art of the mom and pop shop. I love being able to walk five minutes to a little store that sells exactly what I’m looking for, and being greeted by a nice person who’s been running the store for probably 40 years. It just adds depth to your life that you can’t get when your main place of shopping is Walmart.”
Internet reacts
Though the video has attracted nearly 4,000 views and several reactions. One user recalled, “I remember thinking the exact same thing when I visited England for the first time. I saw a speaker music store, a vacuum shop, and a tailor all on the same street.” Another pointed the finger at big companies, saying, “Corporations are 100 percent to blame.”
One user simply wrote, “It’s called community. America, unfortunately, has lost its value and respect for community.” Another added, “True. America talks a big game on small business, but small businesses get short confession.” A commenter shared, “I already left and I don't plan on ever going back!” to which Adam replied with a brief, “Nice.”
