As part of my family’s move to Omaha, Neb., I joined several local Facebook groups (like restaurant reviews and moms in the know) and my NextDoor neighborhood group to ensure I’m aware of the happenings in my new community.
Not long after we moved, my daughter Clare’s new dance studio shared a post on Facebook from its neighbor, a baker who had gone from baking in her home to a brick-and-mortar store and was struggling to keep the store operating. The baker’s heartfelt message, asking for business to support her dream, won me over—along with the positive review from our dance studio about the baker’s sweet treats. For Clare’s sixth birthday, I ordered three-dozen cupcakes in four flavors from this bakery—without having ever tasted anything made there. I just wanted to support this woman’s dream. The Omaha moms’ group I follow also shared the baker’s post and soon her shop was overrun with business—to the point the baker almost couldn’t keep up with the orders! That’s one positive for the power of social media—and another indicator that the days of brick-and-mortar shopping are not behind us, though they are different.
In this issue of retrofit, we underscore retail’s changing landscape with some enticing retail facilities that are destinations themselves or part of a larger draw for their communities. For example, Mackenzies Bakery in the small Michigan village of Vicksburg captured my attention, not only because of its charming artifact-centric design within an existing storefront on a main thoroughfare, but also because its visionary created the bakery to pair with The Mill at Vicksburg, a former paper mill currently undergoing a $100-million-plus retrofit to become a mixed-use attraction. The goal is for the mill, once it opens, to send business to the bakery, which is profiled in “Transformation”, and to other businesses in town.
Our “Cover Story” showcases Liberty Station, which is a destination unto itself. The 550-acre site began as San Diego’s Naval Training Center in the 1920s. Officially closed in the 1990s, the city initiated the transformation into Liberty Station, which features more than 1.5 million square feet of shops and restaurants and more than 100 acres of open space and promenades. Not only can you dine and shop at Liberty Station, but you can also take historic tours and explore the Arts District, which features local artists’ sculptures, murals and more.
These retail attractions, along with the others in this issue, have inspired me to get out there and explore my own city’s retail destinations, as well as take a family trip: I’ve been wanting to visit the Great Smoky Mountains with my family for some time; The Tower Shops at Mountain Mile would be another great way to spend a day in the area!
Don’t get me wrong: I still do a large part of my shopping online because of the sheer convenience of it. When you’re working; managing a household; and running a kiddo to swim lessons, dance and school events, it’s just easier to put items in an Amazon cart and expect them on your doorstep in a day or two. But I’ve learned there are instances when I need the tactile experience of shopping in a brick-and-mortar store and if that store offers other amenities to entertain my husband and kiddo while I make my purchasing decisions, it’s a win for all of us!