In a world increasingly shaped by digital convenience, the relevance of brick & mortar retail may seem diminished—but the opposite is true. When we describe a town, it is the small retailers that define it. Physical retail stores offer something screens can’t: human interaction, tactile experience, and a sense of place. And in an isolated world where so much of what we buy comes from our phones, brick and mortar retail spaces matter more than ever. Let’s explore what it means to be a good-for-society retailer – the forms, patterns and especially the functions of physical shopping spaces where we touch things before buying them and meet real people along the way. — Lisa Uhrik is an Author, Speaker, Teacher, People/Book Spaces Thought Leader, Small Biz and Literacy Advocate, Manufacturing co-owner, President of Franklin Fixtures and leader. Certified as SPHR; M.Ed. Developmental Psychology, M.Ed. Organizational Development, Ph.D work in Community Literacy with an interest in qualitative research and today’s manufacturing/maker spaces.