Why have some retail establishments not only escaped the hungry jaws of the worst recession since the depression, but also flourished in it? What are they selling? And why are people buying? This past year, after small businesses began disappearing on every block in my Upper East Side neighborhood, I found myself peering through store [...]
Feb.23, 2010 | filed in Economics, Food-Stuff | Comments (2)
As the president of the small advertising agency closed the door to his office, I saw an ancient looking, lint-speckled sweater hanging on the back of his door. I was there to see about a freelance assignment, but once he showed me some of his agency’s uninspired work, my interest quickly faded. What did fascinate [...]
On a sultry, August day I tried not to melt during my long moist walk from the subway to the Soho art gallery, where I had a job interview. My first interview for a gallery position at an uptown photography gallery had not been a lot of laughs. The working conditions had turned out to [...]