Wasn’t too long ago that pundits predicted the end of physical storefronts.
Now, in an ironic twist, the very forces of digital commerce that were supposed to do in brick-and-mortar have become hot for commercial real estate.
Two of the biggest proponents are smart-home contenders Amazon and Google. The e-tailer has opened bookstores, pop-up shops and in-store Kohl’s sections across the country, while the search engine giant is plying its proprietary Home products via temporary holiday stores in New York and Los Angeles.
TWICE visited two of these physical manifestations, which provide further proof that the corner store is here to stay.