Located on Lake Michigan, the small town of Petoskey in northern Michigan draws thousands of visitors every year. They come for the spectacular scenery and...
Most people are familiar with the damage Wal-Mart, Target and other"big box" retailers have done to local economies. Across the country, these giant stores have...
The Irish government has made permanent a temporary cap on the size of retail stores in effect since 1998. The new law restricts stores in...
At a hearing held in mid-November, residents of New Rochelle, New York were finally given an opportunity to comment on a proposed 308,000 square foot...
Small business owners and neighborhood activists were elated in November when Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy decided to drop his controversial downtown redevelopment plan. The $522...
Published in 2000, The Hometown Advantage examines the impacts of chain retailers and provides a guide to reviving your community’s local economy. … Read More
Starbucks expected few hurdles when it sought city approval to open a fifth store in Evanston, Illinois earlier this year. That all changed when twenty...
A judge is expected to rule within weeks on whether a lawsuit filed by four independent video stores against Blockbuster Video and seven Hollywood studios...
As corporate chains have taken over much of the retail economy, they’ve left the American landscape littered with dead malls, vacant strip developments, out-dated outlet...
In August, the city of Rockville, Maryland adopted an ordinance barring stores over 65,000 square feet and requiring those that exceed 25,000 square feet to...
Local activists and business owners in Pittsburgh are fighting Mayor Tom Murphy’s plan to use eminent domain to destroy 60 buildings and condemn 125 mostly...
A bill to clarify California state law to ensure that all retailers with a physical presence in the state collect sales tax on internet transactions...
Size restrictions keep the large stores out, but many places are grappling with the proliferation of smaller chains, like Starbucks and Blockbuster. These cookie-cutter operations...
One might be tempted to think that the rise of giant chain bookstores has been a boon to authors. After all, the typical Barnes &...
Locally owned businesses on the Hawaiian island of Maui are facing a invasion of national chains. It began with the arrival of Eagle Home &...