From Plenty Downtown Bookshop in Cookeville, Tennessee, Lisa Uhrik and Ashley Michael discuss books, literacy, book culture, and what it means to live a life of plenty. Music credit: ”A Day at the Bookstore” by the amazing Andrew Buckner.

In a world increasingly shaped by digital convenience, the relevance of brick & mortar retail may seem diminished—but the opposite is true. When we describe a town, it is the small retailers that define it. Physical retail stores offer something screens can’t: human interaction, tactile experience, and a sense of place. And in an isolated world where so much of what we buy comes from our phones, brick and mortar retail spaces matter more than ever. Let’s explore what it means to be a good-fo ...