Both the taxable retail sales data and anecdotal evidence from local retailers supports the conclusion that online retail shopping is impacting brick and mortar retail sales, but it’s only a part of the story, especially in Freeport. For example, despite the decline in retail sales and the prevailing narrative about…

Last year, the Pew Research Center reported that while most Americans are aware that manufacturing employment has decreased dramatically since 2000, most were unaware that American manufacturing output has increased significantly over that same time period. The changing job market is a major issue for economic development nationwide, but even…

In Strong Towns today, Chuck Marohn gives some insight into what’s going on in California’s housing market. (By the way, if you’re interested in local government policy, I highly recommend spending some time on the Strong Towns website.  It’s a fantastic resource, and has some fascinating information and ideas.) This is…