Corner Store Mapping Project

Corner stores were the cornerstones of neighborhoods and could be part of the keys to neighborhood redevelopment.

This project is just getting off the ground, but the intent is to start by mapping historic corner store buildings in our community. Identifying where historic corner stores are located, their current state of use and condition, and other useful information will begin to get a bigger picture of the history of our neighborhoods and the potential for these structures to catalyze hyper-local regeneration. What can the locations of these structures tell us about the neighborhoods they occupy?

In some cases these storefronts have managed to hold on and provide the community glue, weathering the detrimental effects of big box stores and other factors that have gutted neighborhood stores. Is there an opportunity to celebrate and support the corner stores that still exist and can we find ways to prioritize rehabilitating the structures that could contribute to neighborhood revitalization? Could the historic corner store become the new cornerstones of neighborhoods?

As we visit neighborhoods we will continue to expand the map and eventually move to a more detailed mapping platform, but for now, here is a google map of currently mapped corner stores and historic neighborhood storefronts.