There’s a new massive box store that’s about to open in our area and I’m not looking forward to it. To my surprise, many others feel the opposite and can’t wait to grace its blocky gray walls and buy the same exact products its numerous other locations sell. What’s even more of a talking point is that inside the store, they’re putting in a Starbucks, despite there being several local coffee shops already in the area.

Maybe it’s the creative artist in me, but I can’t stand the idea of everything being the same. Back in 2019, I visited Italy and was aghast to find a Starbucks in Rome. Why would I ever want to buy the same drink I could get anywhere in the US when I’m halfway across the world in a country known for excellent coffee? The same goes for the States. If I flew from the Atlantic coast all the way to the Pacific coast, I’d find the exact same stores with the exact same boxy design selling the exact same stuff. Barf.

One of the joys I get traveling abroad is experiencing new sights and new places. Different food, different architecture, different social customs – I readily soak it all up. Don’t get me wrong, the United States of America is huge, and each state is like its own country, from accents and food to geography and culture. However, more and more, it feels like those unique features are disappearing and being replaced with modern mega box stores.

With every new one I see pop up, I feel a deep loss. I think it causes a loss of inspiration. There is a lack of architecture and design because the mega company wants the fastest build so they can rake in their profits as quickly as possible. It’s hard to be an inspired culture when all your buildings are gray boxes built with concrete and metal. I think it causes a loss of community. It’s hard to connect with big box store employees when the staff numbers are so high. You hardly see the same person twice which in turn causes a disconnect with the neighbors you live by. I think it causes a loss of identity. Nothing about that generic box store is unique to the area where it’s built. It looks exactly the same as the next town over.

I long for places that are unique! It’s one of the reasons I love the concept of the Shire in Tolkien’s Middle-earth so much. Tucked into its serene, green landscape sit little quiet Hobbit towns, each with its own unique businesses, traditions, and the people who made them. A visit to The Floating Log in Frogmorton wouldn’t be the same as a visit to The Green Dragon in Bywater because the Hobbits in each locale are unique and therefore the places they built with their own hands are also unique.

It is a longer, harder path when we don’t choose to build or frequent the easy pop-up box stores. It forces us to take our time constructing the places that will serve our community. It forces us to get to know our neighbors and care about those around us. It forces us to accept that not everything is available at our fingertips when we want it to be. It forces us out of our comfort zones when we visit unfamiliar places and experience new things. It forces us to grow and become better human beings (or Hobbits). That’s the type of people I want to surround myself with. That’s the type of place I want to live in.

Personally, I am glad there is no Starbucks in Hobbiton.