http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/detroit-city/2017/06/30/detroits-henry-hatter-close-downtown/103313828/
A couple weeks ago I was biking downtown and a shop called Henry the Hatter stood out to me. It had a big, old looking sign and seemed like a small business. I thought that it great that a business like that was able to survive through both the hard economic times and the recent gentrification. When looking for an article, this one caught my eye because I remembered noticing the shop. Unfortunately, the article was titled “Rent too high: Henry the Hatter to close”. The store had been in that location for 65 years, but will close in August because the landlord recently raised the rent. The owner said that “it’s getting to the point where businesses like mine are going to have a hard time in the city. You are just not going to be able to pay the high rents and stay in business unless you’re a large chain”. The article goes on to mention various celebrities who have frequented the hat store and how it is seen as a staple of Detroit by many. If a store so well known was unable to afford the rising prices, it is no surprise that smaller stores can’t survive and that many have been forced out long ago. While many agree that lower storefront vacancy rates are a good thing, a city full of chain stores has little character and doesn’t support the local economy in the way small businesses do. Additionally, businesses help create a feeling of community and their loss hurts customers as well as the owners and employees. The situation with Henry the Hatter is a prime example of gentrification forcing long time residents out and it’s sad to think about how much has been and will be lost due to this.
While gentrification exacerbates the loss of local businesses, even in places that are not going through this change small businesses are closing their doors. In Ann Arbor, many small, local businesses that were a part of what made the city unique closed recently and more and more chain stores are popping up. While the situations in the two cities are different, residents of both can relate to the feeling of a favorite store closing and the impacts on the local economy and community. People from cities like Ann Arbor who may be contributing to the gentrification of cities like Detroit need to remember this feeling as they are coming into a new place and potentially forcing out long time businesses or residents.
