One trick I learned from Tokyo that helps for understanding any city: when you come across a charming small biz in a sea of generic chains, ask them about their relationship with their landlord. For example, this is the fantastic Alabaster Bookshop, near Union Square in NYC... pic.twitter.com/ujPl4o4EqK

— Joe McReynolds (@McReynoldsJoe) June 14, 2022