Department of Small Business Services

Issue Brief posted August 10, 2009

Independent retailers are part of the glue that holds neighborhoods together, but increasingly they are fighting for survival. Retailers are plagued by high rents, competition from chains and the internet, limited access to credit, and other stresses, but their decline is far from inevitable. Drawing from the Pratt Center's work with neighborhood groups seeking to build strong shopping districts and from creative strategies pursued by other cities, the Pratt Center Issue Brief "Saving Independent Retail" details measures the Mayor’s Office can and must take to keep independent stores thriving.