Coming soon
The shops on your block are the point.
Close By is a guide to independent shops and main streets: who runs them, why buying local matters, and the small-business news that changes your neighborhood.
- Coming up:
- Independent shops
- Main streets
- Why local matters
- Small-business news
New on the block
The first stories are on their way. Sign up and we'll send them to you.
What we cover
Independent shops
The bookstore, the hardware store, the bakery: who runs them and what makes them worth the walk.
Main streets
The blocks where local shops cluster, how they got that way, and what's changing.
Why local matters
What buying close to home does for a neighborhood, with the research linked so you can read it.
Small-business news
Openings, closings, new rules and programs that affect the shops near you.
How we write about a shop
- Sourced
Every fact links to where it came from: the shop's own site, public records, or the reporting we read.
- Our words
We write it ourselves. Quotes are short and credited.
- Illustrated
Our pictures are illustrations made for the story, never photos taken from someone else's article.