Online shopping is easy, rapid and effortless. It lives in our phones, shopping carts and, ultimately, through our packages at Hinman. As we continue to spend more time online, we have begun to neglect how and where we live. After years of digitalization, Dartmouth students are slowly losing their connection to Hanover and its small business community. Local business leaders have told me, as many students can attest, that the character of Hanover’s Main Street has become increasingly corporate and bland. Meaningful experiences between Dartmouth and the Hanover community are gradually fading. To revitalize the Town, we as Dartmouth students need to reconsider our consumption habits and rebuild a connection with Hanover.
Dartmouth is Hanover, and Hanover is Dartmouth. Throughout its history, the College’s students have flocked to Hanover’s many local businesses. Students have always been a critical driving force for the success and character of these businesses. Riots and fist fights at Nugget Theaters, barbershop talk at Walt & Ernie’s and the ever-present “Lou’s Challenge” — when a student eats breakfast when Lou’s opens at 6:30 a.m. after pulling an all-nighter — are all part of a shared history of Dartmouth’s students and the town they inhabit.
Indigo, a women’s clothing store in Hanover, is one of these local businesses. Indigo’s owner Mia Vogt explained that over time, Main Street has gathered more “corporations and chains,” and since the pandemic, that trend has continued. For Indigo, its student-oriented customer base has declined in the post-pandemic era. One of the most significant challenges for small businesses is e-commerce and a consumer base that has started to favor online alternatives, as opposed to traditional brick-and-mortar stores. Because of Hanover's rural location, Indigo and other small businesses can use the online space — but it works better for advertisement than sales. Large corporations, notably Amazon, have a stranglehold over the e-commerce space. This grip chokes out small businesses nationwide, and the spirit of Main Street here at home.
Such has been the case for towns and cities across America. As shopping became increasingly online, Union, a small town of 2,000 in Oregon, struggled to bring local businesses into town. This phenomenon is not restricted to small towns. Between 2020 and 2022, San Francisco lost 20,000 businesses. Yes, inflation, crime and the pandemic are all factors that played into this collapse. Still, the cheap and rapid access to Amazon and other online brands is undeniably detrimental to business. Owners of San Francisco shops pointed to the ‘Amazon effect’ as an overpowering force they could not keep up with. The stories from American cities issue a harsh warning to places across the nation. Hanover is not exempt from this effect.
Because Amazon has assets and connections to supply chains in countless industries, many small businesses have to choose to work with or compete against Amazon. Businesses bow down before the king and gain access to Amazon’s infrastructure in exchange for losing autonomy over their business. For example, when small businesses that work with Amazon attempt to lower their prices on Amazon.com, Amazon punishes them by lowering their search relevancy. There are many more examples of Amazon’s control over small businesses. This and the dominance of Amazon, which accounts for nearly 40% of e-commerce, create an increasingly homogeneous and online world. E-commerce threatens Hanover’s storied and heterogeneous offering of local businesses.
Of course, I am not arguing that e-commerce is inefficient, unaffordable or inconvenient. For consumers, it is often the exact opposite, providing mere clicks away from any purchase. Still, there is an indescribably special quality to the in-person local shopping experience.
Local business owners are original, invested and passionate about their work. The hand-selected collection at Indigo, original posters at Records, Posters and Memorabilia and curated movie selections at Nugget Theaters carry their own distinct weight. They are for the community, by the community. Engaging with local businesses is a chance for people to see into another world with fellow shoppers.
All of this is to say, there are still local businesses that are thriving. Most of these are unaffected by e-commerce, though. Walt & Ernie’s owner Carol Eastman, for instance, told me that Dartmouth students — and specifically word of mouth — sustain the shop. Still, the pandemic and ubiquity of the internet compelled Eastman to set up a phone in 2020, which ended the walk-in model of the shop. Eastman said there has been a decrease in the bustling, traditional barbershop social environment as a result.
I am not suggesting that businesses should bury their heads in the sand and refuse to adjust to the growing demands of a digital marketplace. But, they should not make those adjustments by taking away from the in-person experience, either.
In an increasingly busy and evolving world, it is easy to praise efficiency and ease. The Dartmouth bubble can feel comfortable, but it is essential to remember that we as students live in Hanover, not just at Dartmouth. We must reassess our use of e-commerce. Our local community depends on it.
Opinion articles represent the views of their author(s), which are not necessarily those of The Dartmouth.
