About Close By
Support the shops in your neighborhood.
Close By is a guide to independent shops and the main streets they make: who runs them, why buying local matters, and the small-business news that changes a neighborhood.
Who's behind the counter
The bookstore that orders the one title you need. The hardware store that sells a single screw. The bakery that's been on the corner longer than the bank. We write about the shops that make a block worth walking, and the people who keep them open.
Why buying local matters
Where you spend shapes the street you live on. When we say what buying local does for a neighborhood, we link the research or reporting it comes from, so you can read it and decide for yourself.
What's changing
Openings and closings, rent and rules, programs that help small businesses and the ones that don't. The news that decides whether your favorite shop is still there next year.
The shops on your block are the point.
Read the latest