Karen Xie

The history of retail spaces highlights the importance of their social function. The Galeries de Bois in Paris was the first prototype of the modern shopping centre, becoming the city’s artistic and social centre.

We blunt romance and passion with this constant calculation of risk, this paranoid scanning for threats, and by holding back to avoid being hurt. We encourage each other to be emotionally absent, unfazed, uncaring. We even call it empowerment! It’s not. It’s neuroticism. I think we are a generation absolutely terrified of getting hurt and doing all... See more

retail markets function as vital social infrastructure, providing places to meet, enhancing local resilience, and generating much needed vibrancy for local economies. These spaces represent so much more than places to buy and sell.

There is a good deal of implicit sentiment around relationships that troubles me, because it assumes a fundamentally defensive posture: You have to be happy first, you should date around a lot, you should reject quickly and on small pretenses, you shouldn’t take dating too seriously, etc. For some even attachment is a dirty word! 1 All of this is... See more

Why Glossier's Stores Are Uniquely Successful In This Economy

These places are more than just shopping destinations; they are modern town squares that shape trends, drive purchases, and serve as prime opportunities for brands to engage with their audiences.