Stratford’s Convenience

Stratford, Connecticut is a medium sized town that borders a resourceful forest side and the good old Long Island Sound. My family has lived there for a very long time, and there seems to be very little upward mobility. The population of Stratford has a good amount of diversity, economically and racially. The town shows great deal of socioeconomic contrast on both ends. The north side holds those of much higher economic standing while the south side is the opposite. The business that I am writing about has its shop in the south end of Stratford. It is a clothing shop called “Continuations Consignment Shop”. It is centered on the strip called Merchants Walk Shopping Center which provides a few amenities to the area: Dunkin Donuts, Chinese Food Restaurant, Ice cream shop ect. Continuations Consignment Shop caters to the economically lower standing residents of Stratford. The family run business has been around for as long as I can remember, offering discounted retail items that are much more affordable to the surrounding community. To my knowledge, just the mother and daughter run the floor. Every time I have gone to the store, the two of them greeted me with a smile and a sense of pride. The environment provides a sense of community because the product has all been donated. This too reduces the effects of the wasteful retail business. The space that Continuations Consignment is located on adds to the walkable-ness of the area. The shops all have store fronts that allow for visual connections that would not of been able to be made otherwise. The premise of discounted prices on clothing, jewelry, some electronics allow more social opportunity for the lower income residents. Due to their economic standing, they are at a social loss in that the affordability of today’s culture is not directed for the lower class. Continuations Consignment grants some social standing to its customers who would not of been exposed to it before.