Category Archives: Retail

Has there ever been a mirror store on the planet earth?

At some point during the 1964 film The Last Man on Earth, Vincent Price, who portrays a character by the name of Dr. Robert Morgan, has to leave his fortress of a home, and head into the city in order to restock his vampire repellant supplies. [A virus has swept across the word, killing everyone, […]

Also posted in History, Pop Culture, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 55 Comments

When will the first Amazon drone be brought down?

There’s a lot I could say about Jeff Bezos’s recent announcement that, within four years, Amazon will be delivering by drone, but I’m exhausted. I did want to say, however, that I can’t imagine a scenario where people, seeing a swarm of free electronics, DVDs and video games just buzzing overhead, wouldn’t be tempted to […]

Also posted in Observations | Tagged , , , , , | 21 Comments

It might be too early to announce the company’s death, but good riddance to Groupon

I’ve never liked Groupon. Rightly or wrongly, I’ve always thought that the company, and it’s well-known “daily deals,” were bad for small businesses. My sense, and I’ve had it verified by a few business owners, is that they gravitate toward Groupon when they’re desperate, offering deep, unsustainable discounts to Groupon users, who, for the most […]

Also posted in Economics, Local Business, Marketing, Other | Tagged , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Having won the title of World’s Best Comic Book Store, Ann Arbor’s Vault of Midnight plots global domination

After years of shopping at Ann Arbor’s much-beloved comic book shop Vault of Midnight, I finally had the occasion a few weeks ago, at an event hosted by Concentrate Media, to meet the store’s founder Curtis Sullivan. What started as a friendly conversation on the current state of Ann Arbor retail quickly escalated into an […]

Also posted in Ann Arbor, Art and Culture, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Pop Culture, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Author Amy Cortese on the burgeoning “locavesting” movement, and how we can harness it in Michigan

Next Tuesday, October 30, Think Local First will be bringing author Amy Cortese to Ann Arbor to discuss her book Locavesting: The Revolution in Local Investing and How to Profit From It. Following is my interview with Amy, who, in addition to being a published author, has written for the likes of the New York […]

Also posted in Ann Arbor, Economics, entrepreneurism, Local Business, Locally Owned Business, Uncategorized, Ypsilanti | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

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