“Small is Beautiful” is one of the main three values of Bow Market (along with “People come first” and “Diversity is Strength”). It is borrowed from the influential 20th century text of economics of the same name by E. F. Schumacher, “Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered.”

Schumacher’s text focuses on the economic value of sustainable production and the limits of scale’s ability to outpace environmental and developmental concerns. As the subtitle of his work infers, Schumacher is focused on a theory of economics that prioritizes all peoples’ wellbeing. 

We espouse and expand on this idea: Bow Market is built around the belief that small businesses run by individuals from the community are beautiful. The care that’s present, the creativity of working near one another, the concentration of thoughtfulness – something we summarize as “love per square inch” – produces wildly palpable results:

• The connections between business leaders and their customers, their neighborhood, and their staff.

• The trust built when like minded people spend time in close proximity to one another

• The authenticity produced when there are more decision makers making more decisions

• The resilience and responsiveness to challenges by leaders who have strong connections to their work and teams

• The physical beauty and comfort of their shops

• A potent focus on what makes themselves and their customers unique

• Stronger, more meaningful public events focused specifically on our neighborhood and our wider community