Recently, I was asked if I was interested in writing about a world-traveling CEO who prided himself on basically never being in the office but still had a successful, growing business. His representative suggested that he’d be happy to share the secrets to his “success” with me and also explain what a wonderful time he was having flying all around the globe to exotic and exciting places. To be clear, this was demonstrably not business travel.
I passed on the pitch, although the topic of in-office work isn’t one that’s likely to disappear any time soon. Amazon’s having a tough time forcing its workers back to the office. The new CEO of Starbucks is getting loads of grief from his own employees about his plan to “commute” to the office by company-owned jet from Newport Beach to Seattle. Work from home has always been a sub-rosa class issue since the pandemic began: essential, blue-collar, and no-collar workers never got a break during COVID, while many white collar workers worked from home and barely felt a thing.
But one issue about the proposal stuck in my mind. Without knowing the particulars of his situation or seeing his company’s actual financial records, I found myself asking this simple question: if his operations were really doing well—essentially in his absence—how much better could the business be doing if he was actually present and available to his team, paying attention every day to the nuts and bolts of the business, and concentrating on improving his margins and identifying new markets and opportunities instead of running up his frequent flyer miles? And frankly, what kind of lazy board and indifferent investors would tolerate this kind of selfish and lazy behavior. I’d say, “less showboat and more tugboat.”
It felt to me like this guy was perfectly happy to settle for good enough, which I don’t think any real entrepreneur ever does. Anyone who has ever worked with me knows two things: (1) I’d never ask more of them than I ask and expect of myself; and (2) I believe that there’s always more in each of us than we even know (until we try). Once you see and realize that potential and prospect, then you’ll never be happy or willing to settle for less. It’s not about acceptance, it’s about expectations: people learning, growing and becoming. If I accept you as you are, I make you worse. If I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you reach that goal.
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I’ve called this approach obsessive iteration or the process of successive approximation—always getting a little bit better every day toward the unreachable and delusional goal of perfection. There’s really no quit in a true entrepreneur because there’s always another mountain to climb and there’s a constant internal drive which keeps pushing you forward, demanding what’s seems impossible, and sometimes even achieving it. You never sit still or stop. There’s no finish line and rarely any appropriate time to celebrate. More isn’t necessarily better, only better is better. But there’s always a lot more to do to be even better. Or, as we used to say, too much is not enough.
I have a reputation for relentlessness and I’m proud of it, although I do concede that it’s not for everyone. It’s critical for new business builders to understand that not everyone shares your craziness or is quite as zealous and committed as you are. If you aren’t careful and learn to occasionally rein in your own drive and enthusiasm and spend some time making sure that there’s room for other people, attitudes and approaches, you’ll never build the kind of team or business you want. It’s a balancing act and it’s easy to intimidate or even scare off the exact kind of talented people you’re going to need to succeed if you’re not careful. Pushing your people too hard is a sure way to push them away. The best leaders understand that they have to deliver both consistency and intensity in varying degrees on a regular basis. This helps the team understand what to expect and appreciate what you expect. It’s not an easy task, but it’s essential.
And to be clear, there’s also another vitally interested and important party to these considerations, and that’s your family. Your family will ultimately be a much more important extension of yourself than any work you do, although it often takes quite a while for young entrepreneurs to realize that. There’s always more work, but you only have one family. They share every bit as much as you do in the ups-and-downs of the business building and the sacrifices as well. Even more to the point, your inbox will always be there waiting for you, but your family might not be, so put them first. Family is more important than fame or fortune. Don’t try to tell yourself otherwise.
It’s easy to think that you’re constantly working like a maniac for your family, but if you ask them, it’s very unlikely to be their view. They’d much rather have more of you. And please don’t make the stupid mistake of ever telling your spouse or your kids that you’re working for the money so you can afford to give them nice things, live in a lovely home, and take great vacations. This is the worst message in the world. It’s not about making money or a living—it’s about making a life you’re proud of and making something that makes a difference. If you don’t know why you’re working and doing what you’re doing, then maybe it’s time for a change.
So, the next time you find yourself wondering whether it’s time to call it a day or whether you should maybe put in a few more hours at the office (and likely miss dinner or an important event with the family), ask yourself: I know I could do more, but should I?
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
Thursday evening, many gathered to celebrate the grand opening of Minnesota’s first-ever child care business incubator, designed specifically to launch four Latina-owned family childcare businesses.
The bold new plan is led by CLUES, the state’s largest Latino-led nonprofit. The nonprofit began designing the childcare incubator pilot three years ago after extensive research found the community wanted help maneuvering through the licensing process.
“This new model provides an opportunity to have four microbusinesses under one roof so they can start their journey,” said CLUES CEO Ruby Lee.
Lee emphasized that this model will increase access to culturally specific childcare options for folks in the Twin Cities metro.
The program provides a three-year coaching program to help the four women gain skills and get connected to resources with the goal of eventually expanding into their own space and making way for another cohort.
Raquel Mosquera is among the women stepping into this new chapter. She immigrated from Ecuador about two years ago. Looking for opportunities to provide for her family, she found this program.
“The program was a blessing, open door for me,” Mosquera said. “Child care business more than just business, but a legacy for me.”
In her classroom, infants to elementary-aged children will learn culture and Spanish.
“We want to preserve the language and heritage that comes with Spanish language,” Mosquera said. “We want children to know and love their language and culture.”
While she’s teaching the youngest, she too will receive personalized coaching, setting her up for success.
Lee says the model is a win-win for everyone and an investment in our children who are the professionals of tomorrow.
The program officially opens mid-October with a capacity of serving up to 54 children.
The alcohol industry recently dodged an attempt to smuggle a neo-Prohibitionist agenda into the U.S. Dietary Guidelines revisions. While the industry was able to breathe a sigh of relief thanks to this rule, its reprieve has been short-lived: President Donald Trump’s tariff policies have started to hammer the industry once again.
On August 1, a 15 percent tariff went into effect on most European goods imported to America. Despite some initial hope that alcohol might be spared as part of a Trump-E.U. trade deal, the tariff remains in effect for booze, and it’s U.S. small businesses that are bearing some of the highest costs.
During the first Trump administration, alcohol producers were hit hard by Trump’s tariff policies, facing price increases on beer cans (from the aluminum tariffs) as well as painful retaliatory tariffs from other countries that targeted American alcohol. So far, the second Trump presidency appears to promise more of the same.
With the tariffs now officially in effect, small- and medium-sized wineries in California are reporting price increases on key input materials, including glass, corks, and barrels. The day after the tariffs took effect, Dresser Winery in Paso Robles, California, was informed by its Portugal-based cork maker that cork prices would increase by 15 percent—the manufacturer offered to pay 2 percent of the cost increase, leaving the winery to cover the remaining 13 percent.
Dresser Winery also sources its glass abroad, either from China or Mexico, and its barrels come from France or Hungary. As the winery’s owner Kory Burke pointed out to The Columbian, simply swapping these goods for American-made products is far from simple. American glass bottles are expensive and harder to find, while American-made oak barrels would noticeably alter the flavor profile of the wine. Another California winery reported that the tariffs will raise their production costs by 50 cents per bottle.
The impact on the alcohol industry started being felt even before the tariffs officially went into effect, with prominent bourbon brands such as Brown-Forman (owner of Jack Daniel’s and Woodford Reserve), Wild Turkey, and Bulleit all experiencing drops in bourbon sales over the summer in anticipation of the tariffs, partly due to export markets becoming more politically fraught. And none of this even includes the decision by Canada earlier this year to yank all U.S. alcohol from the shelves of its municipal-run liquor stores, which resulted in devastating sales declines for U.S. booze in Canada. (In 2024, Canada was the second-largest export market for American spirits.)
There are also lesser-known effects that are starting to have an impact. As Kevin D. Williamson noted recently in The Washington Post, the American three-tier system of alcohol distribution presents particular challenges for the industry when it comes to weathering tariffs. American alcohol distributors—who operate as a government-mandated middleman between producers and consumers—often derive higher profit margins on wines coming from countries like France and Italy.
As Williamson puts it, these imported wines help “sustain the distribution ecosystem that lower-margin U.S. producers rely on to get their products to market,” which means that “European imports don’t just compete with U.S.-made wines—they effectively subsidize their distribution.” Williamson goes on to quote an alcohol distributor who derives 75 percent of its profits from European wine. “We need French, Spanish and Italian wines to make our business work,” said Harry Root, co-founder of the South Carolina and Alabama distributor Grassroots Wine. “Remove any piece of the puzzle, and the whole thing doesn’t work.”
The cost of tariffs on the alcohol industry is no longer merely speculative. “It has real impacts,” Burke said. “We’ve thought deeply about selling our property. We’ve thought deeply about…charging double our price for our bottle.”
As has been the theme of Trump’s trade war, in the end, it’s American businesses and consumers that suffer.
For 13 years, Milton’s Vittle, Vino and Beer has been more than a restaurant in Crystal, Minnesota; it has been a home, a gathering place, and a pillar of kindness in the community.
Founded by Francine Weber and her late son Chad Freeman, the restaurant, Milton’s, carries a name inspired by Weber’s father. What began as a tribute to family recipes has grown into a neighborhood anchor.
“We started in 2013. It was a fast casual concept my brother came up with my mom,” said Charlene “Char” Freeman, daughter of Weber and the general manager of Milton’s.
Running the daily operations alongside her late brother and mother for years, Char Freeman serves as just more than a general manager – she’s the cheerful, welcoming face of the business.
“I’m the person that remembers everybody. If I don’t remember your name, I definitely know what you ate or drank,” said Char Freeman. “My mom said I’m the keeper of the stories, I’m the one who remembers everything.”
But the future is uncertain. When the news broke that Milton’s would be closing, many longtime patrons were stunned.
“We were just shocked. We’re sad because we love coming here,” said six-year-long customer Becky Nelson.
Char Freeman said that she’s heard from countless people, all wanting to support.
“We had people say you’re not closing. Everybody, from city representatives to people who called us from out of state. They said, ‘Give us a dollar amount.’ It’s beautiful,” said Char Freeman.
Milton’s faces ongoing equipment failures, rising food costs and labor. The time was ticking and the community came together to help.
Out of the few who reached out, a few started a fundraiser. As of Thursday, they have helped raise around 10% of the $150,000 goal.
“The community has been so supportive. We didn’t realize how much we meant to the community,” said Char Freeman.
Ashley Baltz always knew she wanted to create art; she just didn’t know which creative medium would call to her most. After navigating big changes in her life, like switching from nursing school to a science degree and being diagnosed with depression, she felt lost…
Los Angeles — Cookie connoisseur Lara Adekoya started her baking business during the pandemic, selling cookies to masked customers out of her Los Angeles home.
Now, customers flock to her L.A. bakery, Fleurs et Sel, to get their hands on flavors like oatmeal chocolate chip walnut, peanut butter and Nutella, and matcha dark chocolate.
Adekoya says she’s now paying $50 to $100 more per bag for premium ingredients imported from countries around the world, including France and Japan, due to President Trump’s tariffs.
She says that amounts to an extra $3,000 to $4,000 per month she is now spending on supplies.
Adekoya says she has not yet passed on that extra cost to her customers, absorbing the entirety of it herself.
“I guess the easy answer is like, raise your prices. I’m not at the point where I want to pass that on to my customers,” Adekoya told CBS News.
Two lower federal courts have ruled the Trump administration’s “reciprocal” tariffs, ranging from 15% to 50%, are illegal. The Trump administration has appealed the case to the Supreme Court.
Small businesses involved in the case say the impacts of tariffs are “not survivable.”
“Mom and pop shops, they don’t have the resources to absorb these high costs imposed by these tariffs,” said Brian Peck, executive director for the USC Center for Transnational Law and Business, and an adjunct assistant law professor who specializes in tariffs. “If these reciprocal tariffs are upheld by the Supreme Court, it gives the president unlimited authority to impose whatever tariffs he wants on different countries. It limits the choices you have in terms of trying to find alternative sources.”
Higher tariffs have forced Adekoya to delay expanding her business, and she’s had to limit the availability of cookies that require imported ingredients.
“I have those core flavors that I know I can get those ingredients. And then the specialty flavors, I can just throw them in and out based on being able to source them,” Adekoya explained. “I have to find a way to persevere. If I didn’t have that mindset when I started my business, I wouldn’t have gotten this far.”
Elise Preston is a CBS News correspondent based in Los Angeles. She reports for all broadcasts and platforms, including the “CBS Evening News,” “CBS Mornings,” “CBS Saturday Morning” and “CBS Weekend News.”
Eight local artists and entrepreneurs are set to fill empty retail spaces around downtown and Uptown Minneapolis.
Upwards of $750,000 is being spent by the city to subsidize two years of rent.
Last year, the city paid to help five arts organizations in downtown, including Flavor World, which opened in May. Flavor World specializes in events, products and services for artists.
“Things have been going great,” Drew Kinkade, Flavor World owner, said. “It’s been so fun to build out this space, find more ways to activate, it brings people through the door.”
“Economic development takes investment, and the approach that the city is taking with the Vibrant Storefronts program is a really commonsense way to connect the dots and address the need,” said Ben Shardlow, chief of staff for the Minneapolis Downtown Council.
This year, the program will expand to three Uptown locations, another neighborhood known lately for empty storefronts.
“I think it’s exciting that it was expanded beyond downtown,” said Damla Erten, co-founder of the Uptown Community Coalition. “I really like the idea of having some of these spaces in Uptown filled with these projects.”
While Erten said she likes the idea behind Vibrant Storefronts, she said the program may lack longevity, since the help with rent is cut off after two years.
“Artists are more creative-minded; they’re not necessarily business people,” said Erten.
She wishes the city were more involved with the business aspect of things.
“Being totally hands off in one of the most kind of crucial and like important aspects of that deal is not really setting them up for success,” said Erten.
The program has so far set Flavor World up for success, Kinkade said, and hopefully a bright future in Loring Park.
Last year, Jeff Brown, head of commercial solutions at Equifax Canada, saw a surge in digitally enabled scams in the construction industry. Criminals claiming to be a legitimate contractor would order supplies that could not be easily identified, such as lumber or plumbing parts, for delivery to a supposed job site — only there was no job site, and the orders were a scam. By the time the real contractor knew what was happening, the materials had been sold on the black market and the fraudsters had cleared out.
“Business-to-business relationships tend to operate on net payment terms. What that means is you can have products delivered to a non-standard location and those products don’t have to be paid to the supplier for 30 days,” says Brown. “That buffer can operate as a getaway window for scammers.”
Having worked a few times, the scam spreads. “When scammers see something they’re able to take advantage of, they double down and it becomes a trend that eventually can become a systemic issue,” says Brown.
Why small companies are attractive targets for fraud
Small businesses like contractors have particular attributes that can make them appealing targets for fraudsters, including:
They deal in bigger numbers than most consumers do. “The average working capital loan for a small business is around $40,000,” says Brown.
Small business owners are often unaware of their credit standing and may not be keeping track of their company’s credit reporting.
Business credit information is more readily available than personal credit information because it is less subject to privacy laws and businesses often want to demonstrate greater transparency to encourage others to work with them. “Businesses have to be spending money to make money. There needs to be an open network for businesses to be able to function,” Brown says. By looking at a company’s credit reports, fraudsters can find a company’s typical bank balance and who their largest suppliers are, for example.
Businesses usually have more points of egress than consumer accounts for criminals to attack. They can go through or impersonate not just the owner(s) but employees, too. “Businesses have a larger net of potential liabilities,” Brown says.
Red flags for Canadian businesses to watch out for
It’s hard to predict what form the next wave of small-business scams will take. Fraud constantly evolves and the tools that fraudsters use change often. Artificial intelligence (AI) has made the rapid collection and analysis of company information more accessible, while spoofing (creating fake) company images and videos can make it harder to spot what is real versus what is fake. Still, there are red flags for company owners and employees to watch out for:
Emails from organizations you don’t normally do business with, or emails that use unfamiliar or misspelled domain names.
Communications demanding quick approvals.
Callers saying they spoke to a named boss or colleague who approved a transaction that needs to be finalized. “A fraudster can easily obtain company managers’ names and titles online,” Brown notes.
Any offer that sounds too good to be true, and those with suspicious attachments, should be approached with caution.
Larger businesses include anti-fraud protocols in their onboarding and ongoing training, something that small businesses can’t always offer. But it helps if employees are trusted and empowered to use their own common sense around potential threats.
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Keep an eye on your credit reports
One line of defence is to frequently check your company’s credit profile. It’s not as simple as a consumer credit report; it isn’t boiled down to a single score. Instead, it includes a business failure risk score that tells suppliers and financial institutions whether or not a company is a viable partner. It also has a delinquency score that relates to the company’s history of paying bills on time, in full, or not at all.
Business credit reports will also enumerate a company’s financial obligations. “If you see a transaction you do not recognize on your company’s credit report, you can investigate and potentially dispute it. Conversely, if there are any long-time business relationships not indicated on the report, it may be in your interest to add them,” says Brown. “If you’ve had a relationship with a business for 10 years, having that history of good payments is going to help get you the best rates possible and the best products,” Brown says.
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What if your business has been defrauded?
From the fraudster’s perspective, the beauty of the construction scam is that it’s not readily apparent who is liable: the company whose name was used, the supplier, or the financial institution conducting the transaction. While the parties sort that out, the criminals get away.
That’s why it’s important to take steps as soon as possible if you think your business may have been defrauded, including:
Checking your company’s credit report to see if an unauthorized transaction has taken place
Contacting the other parties to the transaction as soon as you notice anything strange
This is a paid post that is informative but also may feature a client’s product or service. These posts are written, edited and produced by MoneySense with assigned freelancers.
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Michael is a financial writer and editor in Duncan, B.C. He’s a former managing editor of Canadian Business and editorial director of Canada Wide Media. He also writes for The Globe and Mail and BCBusiness.
It’s not just the crowds that were big at the Great Minnesota Get-Together on Sunday. Angie Voight and Maddy Emanuel were seated next to their big prizes they won on the Midway.
“We like to come and win animals every year,” said Voight, from Minneapolis.
Whether it’s the Midway, the food or beverages, the fair has some making return trips.
“This is my fourth time this year,” said Dana McWilliam from Burnsville.
The latest statistics through Saturday show that nearly 1.6 million people have passed through the fair gates. It’s a number that tops both last year and the year before, to date.
“Beautiful weather, so it’s a good day to be here,” said Voight.
The majority of the days this year have also had below average temperatures.
It’s all meant big business for some fair first-timers.
“We surpassed expectations,” said Jill Pavlak, co-owner of Urban Growler Brewing Company.
In fact, Pavlak said their mocktails, in particular the Bonspiel Blue, are so popular this year, they’ve already started canning them at their St. Paul brewery.
Their Cheweenies, which are mini-Kramarczuk’s hot dogs, are also flying out of their booth.
It’s also Zavion Hyatt’s first time with a fair booth.
“I’m keeping up. I have somebody at the restaurant cooking right now,” said Hyatt, the owner of Irie Express.
“Everybody loves the Jerk Oxtail,” said Hyatt, who has seemingly overcome Minnesotans’ well known aversion to spice.
Thousands are taking part in a yearly tradition that Minnesotans can’t seem to avoid.
“The Great Minnesota Get-Together, that’s what Minnesotans are known for, we’re all in this together,” said Pavlak.
This is part of Reason‘s 2025 summer travel issue. Click here to read the rest of the issue.
A three-story house tucked into a mere one-meter gap between tall buildings. A flower shop shaped like a triangle, wedged between a retaining wall and the sidewalk. A standing bar humming with laughter beneath the rumble of passing trains. In most cities, these spaces would be dead zones—awkward, overlooked, written off by zoning and building codes as unusable.
But in Tokyo, they bloom with life. These microspaces are amenities. They’re capitalism in the cracks, not just in form but in function.
These strange slivers often become homes for new ideas: a two-person bar, a bookstore barely wider than a fridge, a late-night shop that opens on a whim. They invite experimentation, economic as well as architectural.
Tokyo’s ability to cultivate these spaces isn’t just a cultural quirk. It’s a byproduct of a city that leaves room for improvisation, that adapts to its imperfections, and that transforms constraints into creativity. These spaces reveal what is possible when cities loosen their grip on regulations—when policy becomes an enabler, not a gatekeeper. They offer a glimpse of what urban life could look like if more places embraced flexibility.
Tokyo’s urbanism emerged more than it was planned. Most of its neighborhoods weren’t drafted in a planner’s office. They were shaped incrementally by individuals responding to need and opportunity.
Modern Tokyo is a city born from ruin. After the devastating bombings of World War II, with little funding available for formal reconstruction, residents rebuilt on their own—using salvaged materials to create homes on the ruins of old neighborhoods. Over time, the government stepped in to connect and formalize what had already taken shape. The result is a dense, oddly beautiful patchwork: irregular lots, winding streets, and spaces so small that most cities would ignore them. But Tokyo doesn’t.
There are at least three varieties of microspaces here: pet architecture, yokochos, and undertrack infills.
***
Of all of Tokyo’s urban quirks, few are as endearing—or revealing—as pet architecture.
Coined by the architectural firm Atelier Bow-Wow, the term describes buildings that are “unusually small, humorous, and charming”: little pets in a city built for human beings. Awkwardly shaped and impossibly tiny, they defy conventional notions about how much space is necessary for any given use.
You might stumble upon a rubber stamp store crammed into a leftover triangle of land between a train line and the road in Nakano. A one-meter-wide real estate office in Shimokitazawa. A tiny bakery that somehow fits between a wall and a utility pole in Koenji. These are buildings that shouldn’t exist, but they do.
In many cities, spaces like these would be rejected outright as unusable. They’d run into a wall of regulatory barriers: minimum lot sizes, minimum unit sizes, parking mandates, and zoning codes that separate uses into rigid slots—residential here, commercial there, industrial somewhere else.
Omoide Yokocho; Katarina Hall
But in Tokyo, they’re opportunities. They challenge bureaucratic assumptions about what buildings are supposed to look like. As the Atelier Bow-Wow architect Yoshiharu Tsukamoto has put it: “They illustrate unique ideas with elements of fun, without yielding to unfavorable conditions.” Pet architecture is playful, it’s resourceful, and it’s all over the city.
***
Yokocho literally means “side street” or “alleyway.” In Japan, it means something more: narrow lanes filled with tiny bars and restaurants. Usually found near train stations or commercial centers, these narrow streets range from just 1.3 to 2.8 meters wide—narrow enough to stretch out your arms and touch both walls, too tight to meet code in most U.S. cities. Inside, you’ll find bars the size of walk-in closets, seating six to 12 patrons and often run by a single staffer.
Yokochos emerged after World War II as black markets. They were improvised stalls selling basic goods. Over time these stalls became food joints and drinking dens, and eventually they were fixtures of Tokyo’s urban landscape.
The Golden Gai district in Shinjuku packs more than 200 tiny bars into six alleyways in an area smaller than a city block. (It’s the kind of setup a North American fire marshal would never allow.) Most buildings are two stories high, with steep staircases leading to completely different experiences upstairs. Want a fancy whiskey bar? It’s there. A horror movie–themed bar? Absolutely. Hospital-themed? Erotic fetish? Retro video games? A quiet library bar? They have all of the above. All unique. All impossibly small.
Nearby, on the other side of Shinjuku station, the Omoide Yokocho district is known for late-night yakitori (chicken skewers) and drinks, with around 80 shops squeezed into a single alleyway. In Shibuya, Nonbei Yokocho—or “Drunkard’s Alley”—crams 40 shops into spaces barely two meters wide. And in Ebisu, Ebisu Yokocho sits in a covered passageway built on the remnants of a former shopping center that houses izakayas (Japanese pubs) ranging from 10 to 16.5 square meters, serving everything from grilled fish to okonomiyaki to oden.
So beloved are these places that developers have recreated them inside modern buildings. Shibuya Yokocho, a sleek version inside the Miyashita Park complex, mimics the feel of the real thing, with curated chaos, shared tables, and dishes from every prefecture in Japan.
Nostalgia aside, yokochos are more than relics. Their size, affordability, and independence make them incubators for creativity and entrepreneurship.
***
Tokyo’s rail system is everywhere—and wherever there are train tracks, there are gaps. In many cities, these would be fenced off. In Tokyo, they’re filled with life.
Like yokochos, many undertrack infills began as black markets after the war. What were once dusty, makeshift stalls have since evolved into hubs of commerce and dining.
Near Ueno Station, izakayas nestle underneath and between train lines. You can sit shoulder-to-shoulder with salarymen, sip a highball, nibble on sashimi, and watch the trains pass overhead.
A few blocks from there is Ameyoko, a market wedged beneath the Yamanote Line between the Okachimachi and Ueno stations. It’s a sensory overload: cosmetics, spices, fresh seafood, and cheap street snacks packed into a narrow pulsing corridor under the tracks.
A few stops away on the Yamanote Line, in Yurakucho, rows of cozy restaurants and standing bars are tucked into the arches beneath the tracks. Some are linked by narrow alleyways that run under the railway itself, connecting one lively pocket to another. At around 6 p.m., the lights come on, the smoke rises, and the area fills with after-work revelers grabbing food and drinks before catching their train home.
What unites these undertrack infills is their uncanny ability to turn infrastructure into opportunity. Instead of ignoring the voids created by transit, Tokyo builds into them.
To understand why Tokyo looks the way it does, you have to start with zoning. Zoning laws determine what can be built and where—homes, shops, factories, or nothing at all.
In the U.S., zoning is local. Each city or county writes its own code, but most follow similar templates. Neighborhoods are typically residential, commercial, or industrial, with little room for overlap. The rules are rigid. It’s often illegal to run a small business out of your home or to build on a lot deemed too small. Any change of use typically requires hearings, permits, consultants, and months—maybe years—of paperwork. It’s a large bureaucratic system that tends to push out small, experimental, or unconventional uses.
Japan takes a different approach. The same zoning system applies nationwide, from Tokyo’s densest neighborhoods to the smallest rural town. The rules are meant to maintain the scale of buildings, preserve sunlight access, and prevent fire hazards.
Ueno; Katarina Hall
Instead of rigid land-use rules, Japan uses a set of 12 flexible zoning categories, arranged on a spectrum from residential to commercial to industrial. These are broad guidelines, not strict prescriptions. Within them, landowners are largely free to decide how to use their space.
Take Category 1, officially designated as “exclusively residential.” In practice, that doesn’t mean only homes can be built. Small shops, dental clinics, hair salons, and day cares are all permitted. What’s prohibited are large, disruptive developments. You won’t find a department store in Category 1, but you might find a ramen shop on the ground floor of someone’s home.
Each zone builds on the one before it. If something is allowed in Category 1, it’s automatically allowed in Categories 2 through 12. The only major exception is strictly industrial areas. Elsewhere, layers of possibilities build on each other, allowing for the kind of vibrant, fine-grained mixing of activities you see in Tokyo.
Japan also avoids rules that would make small-scale development impossible. There are no minimum lot sizes. Small parcels can be freely subdivided. Building heights are based on road width, not a fixed number. And it’s legal to run a business out of your house. The result is a city that allows for increasingly complex and nuanced configurations.
The rules are more like scaffolding than a straitjacket. They set the frame, but decisions are left to property owners, architects, and builders.
This flexibility has made Tokyo radically adaptable. It makes space not just for small businesses but even smaller microbusinesses. If you have an idea and a few square feet, you can start something without hearings or expensive consultants.
“There are a lot of ways in which not only zoning but other pieces of the puzzle all come together to encourage these experimental, intimate, small-scale mom-and-pop businesses,” explains Joe McReynolds, an urban studies scholar at Keio University’s Almazán Architecture and Urban Studies Laboratory. “There’s a lot of tilt in the regulations toward small businesses,” he says, from lower taxes and simpler food safety rules to the relative ease of getting a liquor license.
Gap House; Nicholas Kane
Tokyo may be unique, but you can sometimes spot a glimmer of flexibility even in cities with heavy-handed planning systems.
Take London. With its heritage protections, conservation zones, strict building codes, and endless red tape, changing the built environment there often means running an obstacle course of applications, consultations, and design reviews. Yet small-scale invention sometimes slips through.
In West London’s Bayswater conservation area, where uniform facades and historical preservation rules are the norm, you’ll find the Gap House. With a street frontage of only 2.3 meters (8 feet), this five-story home fills what was once a narrow alley between two buildings.
“My inspiration was Japan and the Netherlands,” explains the architect (and owner), Luke Tozer. “Both make good use of small bits of land.”
The project required extensive negotiation, creative diplomacy, and imaginative design work to bring neighbors and planners on board. “We ultimately convinced them of a design that could be contemporary and sympathetic to the adjoining areas without it trying to mimic them,” Tozer says. “One of our arguments was [that] it should be different because it’s obviously of its time but also we want to try and still make it clear that it is a gap.”
The result is a home that opens into a rear garden and maximizes every inch of its narrow footprint. “It required some imagination. Thinking out of the box. Good design, that’s where it comes in,” Tozer reflects. “That’s where good design adds value on tricky sites.”
The Gap House shows that even in cities bound by strict zoning and preservation overlays, there’s still room for architectural courage.
“I love the fact that in a city—even a city where you’ve got an acute housing crisis like in London—there are always bits of land that are left over, forgotten,” Tozer says.
There are cracks worth filling. But if every project demands a fight, we will never see this kind of development flourishing.
“Letting people run a little coffee shop, a little bookstore out of the ground floor of their houses, that’s the sort of thing that makes a neighborhood charming and local and lovable and livable,” McReynolds says.
That’s part of what makes Tokyo so magnetic. It’s a city where the unexpected flourishes. Walk a single block and you’ll see a narrow home tucked between buildings, a pet-sized owl café, or a triangle-shaped standing bar. It’s this patchwork—this mixture of building scales and uses—that gives the city its pulse.
Tokyo can’t be copied. Its history is unique. But we can learn from its ethos of trusting its citizens and adopting policies that enable rather than restrict. If more cities embraced the idea that flexibility breeds vitality, we might start to see cracks of our own—cracks that could be filled with opportunities.
This article originally appeared in print under the headline “Capitalism in the Cracks.”
On Saturday, clients headed to the Walnut Hill Barber Shop to get one last haircut — and one last hug — before the nearly 60-year-old business turned the lights off for the last time.
From left: Hong Tran, Julie Nguyen, and Kim Le, longtime stylists at Walnut Hill Barber Shop in Gaithersburg, Maryland.(WTOP/ Jimmy Alexander)
From left: Hong Tran, Julie Nguyen, and Kim Le, longtime stylists at Walnut Hill Barber Shop in Gaithersburg, Maryland.(WTOP/ Jimmy Alexander)
For generations, people around Montgomery County, Maryland, have been getting their haircuts at the Walnut Hill Barber Shop in Gaithersburg.
On Saturday, clients headed to the Walnut Hill Shopping Center to get one last haircut — and one last hug — before the nearly 60-year-old barbershop turned the lights off for the last time.
WTOP was on the scene as people like longtime Magruder High School basketball coach Dan Harwood stopped by to give his thanks.
Harwood said he has been getting his hair cut at this barbershop for 38 years, only pausing during the pandemic when he had to cut his own hair at home.
“When I first started coming here, my older son — who’s now 39 — was one,” said Harwood. “I brought him here for his first haircut.”
Another customer who stopped by was Frank Jenkins.
“I started coming here in eighth grade,” said Jenkins. “It was probably around 1968.”
Jenkins, who brought his daughter and two sons here for their first haircuts, said when he heard the shop was closing, his first thought was, “Oh, no.”
Inside Walnut Hill Barber Shop, with scissors, clippers and blow dryers in their hands, are three women who have dedicated a combined total of 108 years to the business.
The rookie is 57-year-old Julie Nguyen, who started cutting hair here when she was in her late 20s. To most people, 31 years sounds like it’s a long time to work anywhere, but it’s not as long as Kim Le, who has 34 years under her Walnut Hill barber smock.
Then, there is Hong Tran; she told WTOP that when she first started 43 years ago, there were five male barbers — and she was the only woman.
“I learned how to survive, and became the queen of a barbershop,” said Tran while laughing.
Tran said she gave kids their first haircuts, and watched as they grew up and started families of their own. Then, they’d bring their own children in so she could give them their first haircuts, too.
Just because the lights are being cut off at Walnut Hill Barber Shop does not mean the three stylists are done with cutting hair. Tran’s sister invited them to work at her business, Ann’s Barber Shop in Potomac.
While it was bittersweet, the three ladies all had big smiles, homemade food for their clients, and gratitude to those who have made them feel like part of the family.
The barbershop is being replaced by a nail salon, Le told WTOP.
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As President Donald Trump’s tariffs make life less affordable and predictable for Americans, they’re also threatening to make it less creative. American craft stores are struggling to keep up with ever-changing trade policies, which are making the foreign-made products they stock more expensive and difficult to access. Many foreign craft supply companies are now unable to ship to American consumers at all.
Dana Chadwell founded Chattanooga Yarn Company three years ago when she “saw a niche in the local market that wasn’t being filled by the big box stores such as JoAnn, Michael’s, and Hobby Lobby.” She envisioned “a place to find fine yarns for hand knitting and crochet, and a place to build community around yarn crafting.” It’s been a successful venture “in both the business and community aspect” and “I’m truly living my dreams,” Chadwell explains—but tariffs have thrown her shop into a world of uncertainty.
Over 90 percent of her stock has been affected by tariffs, Chadwell says. “Every supplier I have, minus one, from major to minor, has had a price increase,” she continues. “Because the tariff situation has been so unpredictable…it has made long term planning impossible.”
“I feel like I’m stuck in a reactive rather than proactive status,” says Chadwell.
From aluminum knitting needles to printed garment fabric to bottles of oil paint, American crafters work with many materials that are produced abroad. That has left them particularly vulnerable to Trump’s trade war. Imports from Europe currently face tariffs of 15 percent, and while sky-high tariffs on China are paused until mid-November, they still stand at 57.6 percent, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Worse still, Trump is doing away with the de minimis exemption, which allows goods valued at under $800 to enter the U.S. tariff-free. Casual crafters and bustling craft stores alike will see their costs go up.
Chadwell did all of her fall 2025 shopping this past spring—something she says is typical of yarn shops. “Think about how many changes there have been to tariffs since then,” she points out. “It has been extremely chaotic.” With no hope of planning for the long term, she decided to buy more inventory than she typically would in an attempt to lock in “lower, pre-tariff costs.” As a business owner, she doesn’t intend to spend beyond her means—”I opened with no debt and intend to stay that way,” she explains—so she emptied her rainy-day fund “in order to front-load [her] ordering.”
Chadwell has told customers that they can expect higher prices starting this fall. “I simply can’t ‘eat’ the tariffs as a small business,” she says. She’s stopped carrying certain products “due to tariff-based cost increases” and tried to stock lower-priced items “to help my customers keep within their family budgets.” She’s brought in more American-made yarns, but “those are luxury yarns without the tariffs, so they’re a higher priced option.”
Exclusively stocking U.S.-produced materials isn’t an option for most craft stores. “Tariffs impact American-made yarns as well,” pointed out Fibre Space, a yarn store in Alexandria, Virginia. That’s because “American-made goods still rely on materials made in other countries.” Yarn “is an agricultural product,” observes Chadwell, “so certain crops and certain livestock produce the best fiber in very specific climates that aren’t necessarily” found in the United States. Meanwhile, “needles, notions, doodads, [and] bags…can only be produced at much higher prices” here.
Joann craft store, long the first stop for budget-conscious crafters or people hoping to try out a new hobby, closed its doors in May. Many craft shops “have started to try to bring in products at a more affordable price point to serve” those customers, says Abby Glassenberg, co-founder and president of the Craft Industry Alliance, a trade association for craft businesses. “But with the tariffs, that becomes also more difficult, because a lot of those more budget-friendly supplies are made overseas.”
Once the de minimis exemption expires on Friday, even small orders of goods will be subject to country-specific tariffs. “According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, 1.36 billion packages that qualified for the exemption arrived during 2024,” reportedReason‘s Eric Boehm. Several European shippers, including DHL, Britain’s Royal Mail, and France’s La Poste, have announced that they will temporarily pause shipments to the U.S., “citing ambiguous policies and the need to establish brand-new logistics systems,” reported NPR. Danish, Swedish, Italian, and Austrian postal companies have also halted U.S.-bound shipments.
Even before those decisions would have prevented European vendors from selling their products to American crafters, several companies cut off orders to the United States. The popular Danish yarn brand Knitting for Olive announced that it would only ship to American yarn stores—not direct to individual crafters—as a result of U.S. trade policies. The British craft store Wool Warehouse suspended all shipments to the U.S. on August 21. “Clearly this is not something we want to do,” explained the shop, calling U.S. sales “a significant part of our business.” But “the likely average extra charges will be in the region of 50%” per order. The shop anticipated that few customers would be willing to pay that charge upon receipt, leading “to HUGE amounts of undelivered packages being returned to us.”
The “vast majority” of businesses in America’s crafts industry are small businesses, says Glassenberg. Many rely on the de minimis exemption to place small wholesale orders to afford the component parts that go into craft kits and handmade products. “The reality is the supply chain in the U.S. is just not robust enough at this time to be able to provide those items,” she continues.
Some crafters will find ways to adapt. Glassenberg sees increased interest in mending workshops and creative reuse centers, which are secondhand craft supply stores. In online forums about tariffs, knitters and crocheters predict that they’ll weather the trade war by working through their yarn stashes or unraveling previous projects and thrifted sweaters to reuse the material.
Still, those tactics leave out many casual crafters who just want to buy a cheap crochet hook and a skein of acrylic yarn. That might sound like a small thing, but tariffs prevent all sorts of voluntary transactions that shape lives and culture in big—and often inconspicuous—ways. That means shops that won’t be started, gifts that won’t be made by hand, and hobbies that won’t be taken up. And more immediately, tariffs are punishing business owners who want to help Americans fill their lives with more creativity.
“Those of us who are running our shops as a profitable business are deeply concerned but also very frustrated because we feel like we have no control over our fates,” says Chadwell. “There is a point at which tariffs will simply put us all out of business no matter how well we manage our shops.”
Toshia Tiller (left), and her younger sister, and Cornbread Sisters co-founder Sheila Tiller-Tooks, at the WAREhouse Studios on Friday, August 15, 2025. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Atlanta traffic, notorious for being some of the worst in the country, might be the only thing that can keep the Cornbread Sisters apart. A scheduled appointment in the WAREhouse Studios on the campus of The Atlanta Voice was temporarily delayed due to Friday morning traffic, but when they got on the same page, there was something special about their connection.
Toshia Tiller, 57, and her sister Shelia Tiller-Tooks, 55, are the Cornbread Sisters, the founders and owners of the brand of the same name. When they are in the same room they tend to finish each other’s sentences. Having grown up with three other sisters in Atlanta’s East Lake Meadows houisng projects, Tiller and Tiller-Tooks were forever going to be family, but the Cornbread Sisters business makes them even much more than that. They are partners.
Wearing different green Cornbread Sisters-branded T-shirts and matching white jeans, Tiller and Tiller-Tooks started their business alongside childhood friend Judy. Tiller-Tooks’ daughters, Kristin and Cydnee, also help out from time to time. The Cornbread Sisters is a family business.
“We are representing all women,” Tiller said, owning their own business.
When asked if they planned to wear the branded T-shirts to the interview, they said no, but it never hurts to advertise the business whenever possible.
“It’s loud. Having the t-shirts on, people always ask us about our business,” Tiller-Tooks said. “Having the shirts on starts conversations.”
Metro Atlanta leads the country with nearly 14,000 Black-owned businesses. The Cornbread Sisters are one of the many led by women. Their late mother, Catherine Tiller, inspired the business, and East Lake Foundation’s Start: Me program was the catalyst for bringing that family recipe for cornbread to the masses.
The Start: Me program serves Atlanta’s Westside, Southside, the city of Clakston, and the East Lake neighborhood. The latter was once one of Atlanta’s oldest Black neighborhoods. Tiller and Tiller-Tooks grew up there and spoke to The Atlanta Voice about
“I knew it was going to be serious and beneficial to us,” Tiller said about the Start: Me program.
The Cornbread Sisters (above) say they represent all women entrepreneurs. “It’s important to have a place where we are able to carve out something of our own,” Sheila Tiller-Tooks (left) said. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Tiller-Tooks said she was excited about the program because, “we were going to be around other entrepreneurs. To see how other people were moving, see what things we were doing right, and what things we could tweak a bit.”
“I was all in because I knew it was going to be serious and we were smart enough to know what we didn’t know,” Tiller said.
The program offered the Cornbread Sisters the opportunity to spend time with other business owners who had gone through the Start: Me program. Tiller said it was life-changing.
“It was like a living library for me,” Tiller said. “Literally, you could talk things through in real time.”
Tiller-Tooks said the Start: Me program continues well past their completion.
“Even right now, we are able to pick up the phone and have someone answer our call,” she said. “We know their name and they know us as well.”
That education and enlightenment helped improve the business that is the Cornbread Sisters. The product has always been good; learning how to better get the product out to customers has improved.
A day in the life of the Cornbread Sisters begins with music. Legendary singer/songwriter Stevie Wonder has always been a family favorite, says Tiller, who had moved to Los Angeles before moving back home to Atlanta. Working out of a commercial kitchen space to reduce overhead, the Tiller, Tiller-Tooks, and Judy get started on orders early in the morning.
Tiller-Tooks starts her days by answering emails, checking the status of orders, and taking or returning phone calls. Tiller books the kitchen for the day, goes to the grocery store to get ingredients for the orders, and touches base with customers. Judy, who both sisters describe as a cornerstone of the business and a do-it-all employee, is the general manager. She too, wears a lot of hats for the Cornbread Sisters business.
“She’s absolutely irreplaceable,” Tiller said of Judy. “Her dedication is quiet, but forceful.”
Tiller added, “It feels like all three of us are sisters.”
“We’re everything, ” Tiller said of the five-woman crew. “We are the cooks, maintenance, and the social media managers. It’s important for us to learn all aspects of the business.”
Being a women-owned business was important to the sisters as well. Being a Black-owned and operated business run entirely by women makes the Cornbread Sisters even more of a special enterprise.
“To have a place where we are able to carve out something of our own, that’s important,” Tiller-Tooks said.
“People need more of us,” Tiller said of small businesses run by Black women. “We have the ability to be the boss and a nurturer. Women are needed in all spaces.”
The Cornbread Sisters’ motto for their cornbread, which is sold in 32-ounce batter buckets and as orders of a dozen bite-sized pieces, is “Not just a side piece. Eat with anything. Anytime. Anywhere!”
The words “anytime” and “anywhere” mean something different to the Cornbread Sisters from East Lake Meadows.
“When you come from where we come from, they have already written your story,” Tiller said. “But we were brought up in a family that raised us to go forward.”
“When you come from not having a lot, I always felt like I had to find my own way,” Tiller-Tooks said.
These days, Toshia and Sheila have something that honors the memory of their mother and goes well with a bowl of chilli or your morning coffee.
Looking down at her t-shirt, Tiller said it was about more than just having a successful business.
“It’s important that Black faces are shown,” she said. “We want to represent our people.”
When Khalilah Few opened her salon, Creative Crowns Collective, in 2023, she didn’t think her business savvy would put her at odds with the local government. But two years later, she now finds herself in a legal battle with Clayton County, Georgia.
After outgrowing her original studio space, Few signed a two-year lease for a new salon housed in an old barbershop in Jonesboro, a city in Clayton County, in March. She invested over $30,000 into the property and applied for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) in April to open her salon. Despite meeting the legal requirements for a permit, the Clayton County Zoning Advisory Board and the Board of Commissioners denied Few’s application in July.
Instead of the law, county officials cited a “saturation” of similar businesses in a 5-mile radius, arguing the salon would not “grow Clayton County smartly.” Commissioner DeMont Davis, whose fourth district includes the new location of the salon, even noted that Few’s plan “does align” with the county’s economic development plan but still voted against it, saying Few’s business was “just in the wrong area.”
Few has filed a lawsuit against Clayton County, alleging violations of the Due Process and Equal Protection clauses of the Georgia Constitution. Jessica Bigbie, an attorney at the Institute for Justice (I.J.), which is representing Few, tells Reason that “nothing in the ordinance or the law says anything about smart growth being a basis to deny a permit.”
Throughout the process, Few says county staff gave “vague” responses when asked about requirements and reasons for denial. She tells Reason the first time she heard about “oversaturation” was when she attended her meeting with the zoning advisory board. “What’s frustrating and infuriating about this process is I asked questions, I directly asked, ‘What are some reasons that this application can be denied?’” She says, she “wanted to be prepared.”
Clayton County officials did not respond to Reason‘s request for comment.
Few’s hurdles can be traced back to 2024, when Clayton County amended its municipal code and designated District 4, where the proposed salon is located, as a General Business Zoning District with a Business Corridor Overlay District. This overlay permits some businesses to open without a CUP while requiring one for others. Personal service establishments, such as dry cleaners or watch repair shops, typically do not require a CUP, whereas hair salons do.
The county’s CUP criteria for District 4 appear arbitrary, as they treat similar businesses unevenly. Day cares and dance/music schools are permitted, but gyms and places of worship are conditional. Counterintuitively, even potentially hazardous companies, such as research labs, are permitted.
To get a CUP, applicants must meet with the Technical Review Committee, community residents, and the Zoning Advisory Group, then attend a final hearing before the County Board of Commissioners. The board considers the application’s proper filing, the Zoning Advisory Group’s recommendation, compliance with permit conditions, and consistency with the ordinance’s purpose and intent. They also weigh the benefits against potential harm to properties or the county and can impose reasonable conditions to ensure public health, safety, and welfare.
Few’s salon met the permit conditions, and she provided county staff and the commissioners with not only her application but a presentation detailing her alignment with the county’s 2039 comprehensive development plan as well as Davis’ stated economic priorities. She also had “over 50 letters of support,” yet none of that mattered. “I think you have a fabulous business,” said Davis. “You have a fabulous personality, and I love what you bring, and you actually hurt my heart right now, but we’ve got to deny,” he added.
“The Board of Commissioners concedes that the salon fits the plan; it’s a good business, she’s doing the right thing, she is just not doing it where they want her to do it,” says Bigbie. “The government shouldn’t be stopping legitimate businesses from opening to stop them from competing with others.”
Clayton County officials have denied several other potential salon owners a CUP since the passage of the 2024 ordinance. Lea Bakam, who owned LeNa Braiding, tells Reason she was denied a CUP on June 17 after spending “more than $35,000” fixing up a salon in Clayton County. Like Few, Bakam presented the board of commissioners with her business plan and letters of support. Yet, in denying the permit, Davis again noted that the area was “extremely saturated with salons.”
The Georgia Supreme Court has already ruled, in Raffesnber v. Jackson (2023), that it is a violation of due process rights when governments restrict the pursuit of “lawful occupation of their choosing free from unreasonable government interference.” I.J. prevailed in a similar case in Fulton County, Georgia—Diagne v. City of South Fulton(2024)—in which the Fulton County Superior Court struck down the town’s attempt to block Awa Diagne from opening a salon. The court found that the county’s denial of a permit ran “contrary to Georgia’s long history of constitutional jurisprudence.”
Few has filed for an interlocutory injunction to continue working while her court case is pending. Clayton County must respond to her lawsuit by September 18.
new video loaded: How Tariffs Will Affect This Unique Cheese
By Eshe Nelson, Nikolay Nikolov, Laura Salaberry, Emli Bendixen and Jon Hazell•
Stilton is a special type of blue cheese that can be made in only three English counties. There are just four producers of Stilton left, but this one was crowned best cheese in the world, according to one of the industry’s top awards last year. Eshe Nelson, a business reporter for The New York Times, went to Clawson Farms, the producer of the award-winning Stilton, which is trying to expand its business in the United States, despite the higher costs imposed by the Trump administration’s tariff policy.
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Eshe Nelson, Nikolay Nikolov, Laura Salaberry, Emli Bendixen and Jon Hazell
In the book, Heller captures what locals have always known: it’s not just the skyline that makes New York special, it’s the stories behind every storefront and the characters on every corner.
If you know New York, you likely know New York Nico.
For the past decade he’s roamed the city in search of its quirks and characters, reminding his millions of followers what makes New York — New York.
“Most of these businesses have been around forever, but it really is about the people who make these businesses,” Heller said.
Born and bred in the Big Apple, Heller saw the city through a unique lens early on.
“I know when you were a little kid, your parents said that you were dubbed the mayor of 16th Street,” Joelle Garguilo said.
“There was just this one stretch where I would just like walk down the street and like the vendors would all say, ‘Hey what’s up Nick.’ I was friends with all the security guards,” Heller said.
From Union Square to becoming the “unofficial talent scout of New York,” his journey is as colorful as the characters he documents.
“In 2013 I was like, I’m gonna start posting the same people that I’ve been documenting for Know Your City, but I’m just gonna do it on my phone,” Heller said.
His social media blew up, and then the pandemic hit.
“So I was like, what can I do in the confines of my own home?” Heller said.
As his platform grew, so did he. Heller’s page became a digital lifeline for struggling small businesses.
“Yeah. I mean the first instance was with Henry from Army Navy Bag,” Heller said.
“We raised all this money and I was like, well I want to like, keep trying to do this. So I think the next one I did was for Punjabi Deli, which was down the street. And then you know, I did one for Village Revival. If I have the power to help, I’m gonna do the best I can,” Heller said.
John Stratidis, owner of Cozy Soup ‘n’ Burger said, “He has helped me during my difficult struggles during COVID and still today going on. And he’s an amazing person. He is a true New Yorker.”
Now, he has distilled his love for the city into a new book — New York Nico”s Guide To NYC.
From the last kosher deli in the Bronx to a barbershop that doubles as an art gallery, his guide is more than just a list of places to visit. It’s an ode to the local flavor, but also a way to preserve it.
In a city that’s forever changing, New York Nico is a reminder of what remains constant: the spirit of its people.
The small business group has, however, noted that not all processors have been clear that they’ll pass on the savings, pointing for example to Stripe where not all customers will see a change.
Kelly said Stripe’s decision means the company would keep the savings that were intended for small business customers.
“It’s extremely disappointing to see a big company take this approach,” he said.
Stripe says customers on its Interchange Plus plan, which sees costs vary by transaction type, will see the fee reductions passed through, just like other network cost and fee changes.
But those on its flat-rate plan won’t see a change, because the company says it has seen other costs and fees rise that add up to more than the reduction in interchange fees.
Other processors such as Moneris have said that qualifying businesses on both its interchange plus and flat rate model will see a reduction.
Government expects processors to pass on savings
Finance Ministry spokeswoman Marie-France Faucher said the fee reduction should benefit about 90% of businesses that accept credit cards, and the department expects companies to pass on the savings.
“The federal government is closely monitoring the implementation of the credit card fees reduction, with the strong expectation that all payment processors like Stripe will pass the savings on to small businesses.”
As the leaves drop seasonal businesses like Bread & Pickle are packing up. For the last five months, food has been flying out windows, but that is all coming to an end Sunday.
“It’s bittersweet you know,” said Katherine Gladney. Gladney and her family enjoyed the last bite of the season at Saturday afternoon.
Lake Harriet Bandshell is a favorite for her family, and it’s become tradition since they moved into the area to ride their bikes, hang out with friends, and end the night with some bites from Bread & Pickle.
“I love Bread & Pickle-It’s kind of the end of the season so I had to come here and get the ice cream- get the burgers and hang out,” Gladney smiled.
As some of the last orders were placed, David Robinson who runs the place reflected on the highs and lows.
“The 1st third of the season was a mix bag of success and less success these last 10 weeks have been incredibly spectacular,” Robinson said.
A slow rainy start and park board strike that halted concerts at the bandshell was no match for the idyllic summer days.
“We are going out on a really high note,” Robinson smiled.
Surpassing last year’s record sales despite the difficulties.
“Sad at the end of the season- optimistic about the beginning of another season,” Robinson added.
Bread & Pickle closes for the season Sunday at 7 p.m.
LOS ANGELES — Voters will decide in November whether California should raise its hourly minimum wage to $18 by 2026 and pay workers what would be the highest statewide minimum wage in the country.
That would be on par with Hawaii, where workers are on track to get paid at least $18 per hour by 2028 under a law passed two years ago.
Five states — including Alabama, South Carolina and Tennessee — do not have a minimum wage, though they are subject to the federal hourly minimum wage of $7.25.
California’s ballot measure, Proposition 32, would raise the state’s current minimum wage of $16 to $17 for the remainder of 2024 for employers with at least 26 employees, increasing to $18 per hour starting in January 2025. Without it, the state’s minimum wage is set to increase to $16.50 per hour next year.
Small businesses with fewer than 26 employees would be required to start paying employees $17 an hour in January 2025 and $18 per hour in 2026.
Proponents of the measure say it will help low-wage workers to support their families in one of the most expensive states to live in in the country. Joe Sanberg, a wealthy investor and anti-poverty advocate, said the increase would give a raise of $3,000 a year to more than 2 million Californians who earn minimum wage.
He called the current situation happening in California “corporate welfare” because minimum-wage workers who work full-time don’t make enough to survive without government help.
“If someone who’s working full-time needs food stamps, doesn’t that mean that we as taxpayers are subsidizing the difference between what their employer should be paying them so that they could afford food and what they actually are paying them?” Sanberg said.
Opponents of the California measure say it would be hard for businesses to implement, particularly small employers with thin profit margins. They argue the cost would be passed onto consumers and could lead to job cuts.
“This increase, and the significance of how quickly it’s going to increase will really have a huge impact on them and their ability to maintain their business operations,” said Jennifer Barrera, president of the California Chamber of Commerce.
Nearly 40 California cities — including San Francisco, Berkeley, and Emeryville in Northern California — already have local minimum wages higher than the state’s. Since July, workers in Los Angeles have been paid an hourly minimum of $17.28.
West Hollywood has an hourly minimum wage of $19.08, but business owners there aren’t happy either. A survey of 142 businesses commissioned by the city council found 42% of them said they had to lay off employees or reduce their hours because of the ordinance.
Fast food workers across the state received a bump to $20 an hour in April under a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The Democrat also approved legislation gradually raising wages for health care workers to $25 an hour by July 2026.
Fast food prices increased 3.7% after the law took effect while employment stayed relatively stable, according to a working paper from the University of California, Berkeley. But franchises in Southern California reported having to cut hours for workers as a result of the wage increase.
University of Pennsylvania professor Ioana Marinescu, who studies the labor market and wage determination, said increasing the minimum wage has not shown to have any net effect on the overall employment rate.
“There’s some positive, some negative, but on average the effect on employment is close to zero and that’s quite consistent across many studies,” Marinescu said.
Another common argument against raising the minimum wage is that those low-paying jobs are often filled by students or younger workers used as stepping stones to higher paying jobs.
But a report from the California Legislative Analyst’s Office found roughly half of low-wage workers were over the age of 35 and more than a quarter were over 50. The state’s largest low-wage occupation is home health and personal care aides and more than half of low-wage workers are Latino.
Small businesses already have been grappling with inflation impacting their bottom line, said Juliette Kunin, who owns a gift store in Sacramento called Garden of Enchantment. The business employs about six workers.
“I don’t want to see anybody not being able to support themselves and working full time,” said Kunin, who has mixed feelings about the measure. “But, yeah, if it doesn’t pencil out for us, then we aren’t going to be able to survive.”
Workers picketed outside the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel this week to demand higher pay and better benefits. Across the U.S. this year, thousands of hotel workers have gone on strike to fight for fair pay and workloads in the wake of COVID-era cuts.
Christian Medina makes $16 an hour in addition to tips as a banquet captain at the Sheraton Grand. He supports the proposition and hopes it helps workers better provide for their families.
“It’s hard getting paid $16 an hour,” he said. “I want to be able to save money for my daughter so she can go to school, go to a good college.”
Some say that even if the measure passes, it wouldn’t go far enough.
Carmen Riestra, a uniform attendant at the hotel who makes $19 an hour, said an $18 minimum wage would still not be enough to afford living in Sacramento.
Riestra loves her job and has worked at the Sheraton Grand for 11 years, but the employees’ workloads have increased in recent years due to job cuts, she said.
“And the payment’s only $19?” she said. “That’s not fair.”
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Austin reported from Sacramento, Calif. She is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on Twitter: @ sophieadanna
