Have You Sensed This, Too?

There's something in the air. And no, it is not smoke! 

We believe there is a profound feeling of "springtime."

We know; spring officially is still two months away. But that springtime state of mind IS here. And we all should embrace the opportunities it may bring us.

What's the source of this attitude change?

• Last week the United States ushered in new leadership. As documentarian Ken Burns noted, January 20 seemed like the "real New Year's Day," the day that 2021 had really begun. It was a new dawn.
  
  
• Meanwhile, as the covid vaccines become more widely available, momentum and optimism are growing. The effects of the trio of 2020's pandemics may finally start to recede. 
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But the big news in our professional world is that independent retailers worldwide seem to be re-energized, re-charged, and re-awakened. What a thrill to see!

Entrepreneurship, the spirit of building, the guts to "I'll do it myself!" The very foundation of retailing is booming. 

Look around. Retailers are discussing expansion. Start-ups are racing the crocuses and tulips for attention. It's exciting!

And the customers are just as eager to emerge from this prolonged hibernation. The sense of community that retail offers has never disappeared; it only was deferred.

The feeling of optimism. Don't you sense it all around you? ​