Different

So I'm reading Seth Godin's blog this morning "In Search of Competition".

Sometimes the obvious needs to be written out, and written out in an effective and congenial way, just so people will notice. The 'green movement', 'global climate change', 'organic' are just a few.

Godin compares being unique with being competitive. If you're the only game in town you can charge almost anything. Competition changes that.

This is not new.

Doing some city planning a number of years ago prompted an interesting perspective. With a regional mall just a few miles away I proposed a town center plan that offered small properties in the context of walkable 'city' neighborhood to encourage mom-and-pops. Mixed with city services, educational pockets, inexpensive residential (for the start-up business entrepreneurs) this amalgation was intended to compete directly with the branded stores of the mall: an alternative, just down the street.

As Godin says "acknowledge that the competition exists and in fact, to encourage it."

The city ultimately chased developers that would build big box stores. After 10 years nothing has yet materialized.