The Value of the Corner Store

Walking San Francisco's neighborhoods this week, I was reminded of the many contributions of the corner store.  Take Tartine, for instance, in the Mission District.  This tiny bakery gives the neighborhood a place to gather, a focal point, a destination.  (All of these attributes are augmented by its several outdoor tables and chairs.)  It's a place to get to know your neighbors and makes the neighborhood fun to walk.

Walking back from the theatre tonight in NYC, I was observing the same qualities with an important plus:  safety.  I came out of the subway alone at 7th and 14th and needed to get to 12th between 5th and 6th.  I deliberately chose a path with lots of eyes on the street, thanks to its stores and restaurants.

The always great Matt Yglesias blogs about the the regulations that make this liveliness possible -- and what stops it.  Read it here.

  

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