My daughter lives in Old Town Alexandria, so I have some familiarity with the area. It’s one of those dwindling areas that has a local character that seems to be vanishing as big corporate stores move in. GAP and Starbucks are the ones that people love to accuse of ruining these unique areas, but maybe the culprit is something else altogether, namely, government regulation:
It’s not at all common to see an independently-owned antique shop or art gallery get boarded over, only to be replaced in ensuing months by a franchise. It’s not difficult to see why. Franchise operators can tap the resources of the parent company, particularly when it comes to accessing legal help with experience navigating through and working with local zoning laws and business regulations.
People in Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Hillsborough need to keep that in mind.
