Against the disappearance of local commerce: we all have a role to play
In the last fifteen years, 5,000 businesses have closed their doors in the Balearic Islands. It's a staggering figure and shows that we are facing a profound change in the model that goes beyond the economy. The closure of traditional commerce is also a process of collective loss: of the uniqueness of our streets, of the identity of neighborhoods and towns, of the network of trust and mutual support that is generated between customers and merchants.
Traditional commerce is not just a space for shopping. It is memory, social relations, a grassroots economy, and cultural heritage. In fact, UNESCO values commercial fabric as elements to be preserved, aware that they have social and cultural implications as important as their economic ones. Therefore, when a city replaces family shops with franchises and global chains, it loses much more than establishments: it loses authenticity.
Commercial gentrification is a fact. Just as housing drives out neighbors, market dynamics drive out small businesses. The prices of local businesses skyrocket, urban planning regulations often ignore them, and the pressure of tourism and speculation ultimately makes them unviable. The result is a uniform street, where the one we find in our cities is the same as in most cities around the world. But there is also an economic dimension that we cannot ignore. Traditional commerce was often a family's livelihood. Newly arrived businesses often hire temporary staff, with tight wages and high turnover. Those who come here come from outside, and the profits also go abroad. We are losing roots, stable employment, and the circulation of wealth on the Islands.
More public measures are needed. The Government, councils, and town councils must do much more than award plaques to emblematic establishments. We need more policies to support local commerce: differentiated taxation, modernization aid, and regulations that limit systematic substitution. Urban planning that puts everyday life at the center, and not just mass consumption and tourist leisure, is also essential.
But institutional action isn't enough. As a society, we also have a role to play. Each of us makes decisions every day with our consumer habits. If we shop at small businesses, we're not just making an economic transaction: we're helping to keep the environment alive, support families, and protect the identity of neighborhoods. If, on the other hand, we choose Amazon or the local franchise, we reinforce a model that makes us more dependent.
The debate is much deeper than it seems. We're talking about who we are and what kind of city we want to inhabit. Without local commerce, there's no local life. And what today is a closed shutter, tomorrow may be a street we won't recognize as our own.
