The Future Of Retail Is Fleeting. Boston Should Embrace It

Believers in a looming retail apocalypse often contrast the unstoppable march of Amazon and the fate of iconic stores like Sears, J.C. Penney, and Toys R Us, which filed for bankruptcy in 2017. While there’s no question retail as we know it is forever changed, it’s long from dead. A thriving trend has emerged, led by pop-ups and online retailers that are going offline with physical storefronts. Boston’s retail is also changing, and landlords and local government should embrace this evolution. The answer isn’t for government to fine landlords who leave storefronts empty, as Boston City Councilor Matt O’Malley has proposed. Rather, city government and landlords alike should recognize how the retail business is changing.Instead of a familiar store occupying the same street corner for decades at a time, the future of urban retail is about an array of merchants who move in and out of spaces. A city’s job is to make the process as easy as possible. Read more at The Boston Globe.