Welcome to Storefront Revolt

Hi, I'm Katherine Raz.

I run an independent retail business with two locations in Tacoma, Washington called The Fernseed. I opened the first location (2703 North Proctor St.) in April of 2019, and the second location (5243 South Tacoma Way) in September of 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why am I writing a newsletter about running a store?

I'm also a freelance writer. I've contributed to Time Out, the Chicago Reader, Dwell Magazine, and the Journal of Accountancy. I also had a home decor blog circa 2008-2011, and writing regularly online brought me joy and fulfillment. So I thought I'd do it again.

There are a lot of people writing about digital startups and the tech industry, but not many people write for an audience of people interested in the day-to-day operations of an indie retail business. So I thought, "Why not write the newsletter I would want to read?" So I'm doing that.

This isn't a "how to start a retail shop" blog, although I will publish helpful articles for people who are interested in my thoughts on how one might approach opening a store. This is my attempt at defining what it means to run an independent retail business in the age of Amazon, Wal-mart, and Warby Parker. I'm one person, so the posts will always be from my perspective, and given that I enjoy the art of personal biography, it's likely to get personal. But small business and independent retailing is also something I'm interested at a larger scale, so you're also going to get links to articles and studies, examples of other businesses succeeding in this space, and other researched content — not just my personal musings.

Why would you want to read this?

This newsletter is for anyone interested in opening a shop, selling their products in a shop, anyone interested in urban planning and how to make cities more small business friendly, or for anyone interested in reading personal takes on what it takes to run a small business.

Thanks for your interest. I'll try not to disappoint.