Mushmina, a clothing store in Wayne that promises its customers a global shopping experience, is closing its doors and warning of the growing e-commerce threat to the Main Line’s community vibe and small-business dreams, writes Maria Panaritis for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Mushmina and other small businesses in the area are not the only victims of online shopping. Big retail chains like Toys R Us are also not immune to the new threat. In fact, shopping malls are losing tenants every day to what has been dubbed a retail apocalypse.

Katie O’Neill, owner of Mushmina, says the death of brick-and-mortar shopping brings a loss of human interaction that is critical for all of us.

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“When you’re a shop owner, it’s like you’re a hairdresser, too,” said O’Neill. “You hear what’s going on with customers’ families; you hear about politics.”

According to Wharton business historian Dan Raff, this shift to online convenience is unprecedented.

“A lot of what gets lost, beside the sense of community,” said Raff, “is the extent to which you’re doing business with people.”

Read more about the growing threat of e-commerce in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.

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