Retailers Are Selling Belonging, Not Goods
The stores thriving in the post-e-commerce era have stopped competing on inventory and started competing on gathering, and the run club is the new loyalty program.
Culture
Top stories in Culture
The Library Becomes the Last Free Room in Town
Visits, programming and circulation are climbing at public libraries reinventing themselves as the one remaining indoor public space with no purchase required.
Secondhand Goes Upmarket and Decides to Stay
Resale stopped being where people shopped when money was short and became a channel with its own standards, pricing and clientele. The brands that fought it are now operating it.
The Serious Hobbyist Economy Comes Into View
Adults are spending real money and real hours on demanding hobbies, and an economy of gear, instruction and community has organized around their seriousness.
Night School Is Back, and It Looks Nothing Like Before
Adults are enrolling in evening classes at rates not seen in decades, but the subjects, the venues and the reasons have all changed.
The Unlikely Return of the Regional Magazine
In mid-sized American cities, glossy local magazines are being revived by owners who treat them less like media businesses and more like civic institutions with ad pages.