American retailing has historically provided a meaningful path to prosperity for various members of the population, including immigrants and people who might have been excluded from more traditional success routes. Newly arrived immigrants could leverage the skills and talents that marked their home cultures to establish a foothold for themselves and their families.
This history has been diverse. A prominent and well-known example involves ethnic food retailers that allowed customers who were native to the host nation to enjoy something totally different, even as they granted their fellow immigrants a taste of home. Regardless of their target markets, all of them pursue the American Dream. The efforts contributed substantially to the wealth and variety of food and restaurant options that today’s consumers can experiment with and experience.
Beyond food though, many people brought distinct skills with them, such as groups of Greek immigrants who, at the turn of the last century, arrived in the United States with vast knowledge and experience with tanning and fur making. For decades, Greek furriers prospered, leveraging a centuries-long tradition of creating luxurious ermine furs to supply and sell to American women who wanted the latest and most beautiful furs to wear.
The modern scenario has changed. For furriers in particular, changing social norms and fashion preferences mean that there is little market for their products. In New York, long the hub for this immigrant-run industry, proposed legislation would make fur production illegal. Although the sponsor of the legislation suggests that the mandate could be implemented in stages, to give workers a chance to retrain in new skills, that prospect seems unappealing to first-generation immigrants, many of whom are near or older than retirement age, and who see their work as a legacy of their culture.
Along with trends that might push certain traditions out of the market, small retailers run by immigrant families also face the same pressures that are challenging virtually every mom-and-pop shop: rising rents, competition for customers with online providers, and so forth. In neighborhoods that once were dominated by ethnic cuisine and related offerings, streets increasing look similar and bland, with storefronts housing national chains or nonretail operations, like tech firms. The losses associated with these societal shifts thus appear to extend well beyond economic implications—though those are salient too for people trying to make a go of it in the United States. They also include the threat of a loss of identity and uniqueness that retail operations traditionally have created in local neighborhoods and cultural enclaves.
Discussion Questions:
- When two competing ethical goals—stopping the wearing of animal fur versus ensuring the legacy and employment opportunities for people—conflict, what are options for resolving them?
- Is retailing still an appealing and effective means for social advancement for immigrants to the United States?
Source: Ginia Bellafante, The New York Times, June 14, 2019