Industry Insight
These posts include my insight on the meaning and significance of recent events and changes in how we live, work, learn and shop. You can read by topic or key word, as shown at right.
The New “Second Place”
This is a downer of an article, but as I pointed out in a Governing magazine article two years ago, all those people working from...
Central Portland’s Retail Scene Continues to Crumble
This store is in the Pearl District, one of the country's leading centers of urban revitalization. The neighborhood has thousands of lofts and condos built...
At Last, Something New In “Experiential Retail”
This kind of thing may provide a short-term shot-in-the-arm for places like central Seattle that are struggling to come back. https://www.geekwire.com/2023/netflix-turning-a-seattle-warehouse-upside-down-with-interactive-stranger-things-the-experience/
Silicon Valley Bank’s Failure Exposes the Third Dinosaur of Real Estate
It took Covid to knock over the first two dinosaurs, department stores and regional malls. Now bank failure and consolidation will come for the third,...
Contrary to Some Reports, Online’s Share of Retail Continues to Grow
Some people are saying that online's share has stalled out. But if you look at the relevant categories, its increased from 29 to 30% between...
It’s Not Often That Special-Purpose Real Estate Can Find Such A Good New Use
The question in this country: will climbing take off? And what are the demographics of that appeal? We have one climbing gym here on Bainbridge...