tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633495.post7940629136662494606..comments2023-07-02T15:55:30.759+01:00Comments on De-Scribed: Coffee and the art of being uniqueScribehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633495.post-57668131384520426912012-08-10T19:54:16.325+01:002012-08-10T19:54:16.325+01:00Absolutely - I've exhibited photos there, I...Absolutely - I've exhibited photos there, I've sat and practiced Chinese calligraphy there, and one of my earliest memories of Brighton is going round North Laine the second time and wondering how there was so much stuff I'd missed. I'd claim there is not just a greater sense of community, but also of chaos, to areas like the North Laine, which frees the self up to experience the unexpected, rather than expect the familiar.<br /><br />In other words, it feels like they run on different rules - experimentation is more important than survival. Enjoyment is more important than profit. That's not to say businesses expect to fail - most great ones don't, but freed of the idea that shops are merely the foot-soldier of the retail chain, independent outlets encapsulate the coming together of decision and effect: the person you're dealing with often has the power to change how the shop behaves - to give you a discount, to recommend something special, or to dig something out of the back. That's a massive effect on the "consumer".<br /><br />So I feel empowered by the North Laine in the same way that I feel empowered by haggling, or at an unconference, or at a festival. The rules are bendable when you're face to face with the people with the power to make decisions, and that's a paradigm that clone stores miss out on - collaboration in the retail experience.Scribehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08757616056135886893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5633495.post-74408784039119786962012-08-08T22:03:31.043+01:002012-08-08T22:03:31.043+01:00You feel empowered walking through the North Laine...You feel empowered walking through the North Laine?Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10916957174208127452noreply@blogger.com