Local Flavor

I'm in Healdsburg, CA for a couple of days of R&R and I must note how refreshing it is to have so much local retail. Around the plaza at the center of town are a couple of dozen of shops and restaurants but not a single Gap, Restoration Hardware, Abercrombie, or Starbucks. This mix of local businesses gives a distinct energy to the downtown area.

Granted, Healdsburg is a particularly precious town where everything is upscale. It's easier to find a $100 pair of sunglasses than a $ .39 bolt and the locals at the lower end of the economic ladder aren't going to be doing much shopping around the plaza, but these shops are the work of a couple of dozen local owners -- people who are making a living and bringing their unique perspective to the local economy. To me it is much more authentic and interesting than a "quaint" collection of national retailers that would be, in essence, a mall without a roof.

Places like Harvard Square have become much more homogenized as locally owned retail shops have been replaced with chain outlets. It becomes much less appealing to spend time in those cookie-cutter places.

I'm not sure what it takes to keep the locals in charge -- visionary landlords, committed merchants, a concentration of purchasing power, or perhaps all of the above. All I know is that despite its preciousness, Healdsburg is an appealing place to be.