Written for the leaders, owners and professionals of the 11 million businesses with between $50,000 and $50 million in revenue.

It might not be one of the biggest business lies ever told, but last week the Federal Trade Commission fined housewares retailer Williams-Sonoma $3.18 million for claiming "wholly imported" PBTeen mattress pads and six other products were "Made in USA." (That's on top of a $1 million fine in 2020 for the same offense.)

With a market cap of over $18 billion, Williams-Sonoma will survive. Still, the Made in USA labeling rule has clear requirements. With customers caring about transparency more than ever, false patriotic labeling — which the Alliance for American Manufacturing calls "red, white and blue-washing" — isn't just a legal concern; it's also one of brand reputation.

Sleep on that … wherever your mattress is from.

Today's Edition...

Indie retail: Why record stores and bookshops are back

Slow Productivity: This book makes the case for deep work

Nonnas of the World: Restaurant's heartwarming program

Why Physical Indie Stores Are Making a Comeback in the Digital Age

(Source: Shutterstock)

In January, Best Buy removed physical movies from its shelves. That same month, U.K. video game retailer GAME abruptly ended its trade-in program. Walmart is rumored to stop carrying physical games next.

It's no shock that physical media has been winding down for a long time: Since 2020, Hollywood studios generated more revenue from digital sales as the DVD market has cratered by nearly 50% in a decade. Additionally, digital newspapers continue to outperform print; only 20% of PlayStation games are now purchased on disc; 4 in 5 consumers stream their music, and CD sales have dropped 95% since 2000.

But that last stat hints at a quieter story, one that offers hope to smaller retail businesses as the big-box stores go scorched earth on physical.

While CDs drop off, vinyl records had their biggest sales week since 1991 at the end of 2023. Not to be outdone, cassette tape sales grew 28% in 2022. That's why indie record stores have defied the odds by increasing in number in both the U.S. and U.K., with tape shops following suit. Indie bookstores have made a similar comeback — from approximately 1,700 to 2,000 since 2020. Moreover, 60% of customers report that they gladly buy vintage goods, from VHS to Polaroids.

Nearly 50% of Gen Zers prefer shopping in a physical store over online, eclipsing all other generations. Smaller movie theaters are thriving despite competition from Netflix, Disney+, and the rest. Gen Z is even using social media more moderately than the young adults of five years ago, a shift that could be attributed to the loneliness epidemic spawned by the pandemic.

With everybody tired of doomscrolling, there's a longing for meaningful IRL interaction — even if we listen to Spotify on the drive there.

The good news for brick-and-mortar retailers is they can capitalize on these trends by creating immersive experiences that become a social hotspot within their communities. This could include hosting events and workshops, collaborating with other local businesses, or creating a dedicated fanbase by building in public.

Maybe physical media isn't going away forever: maybe it's just being driven into a healthy and vibrant niche — which is exactly where independent retail thrives.

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Today's podcast conversation is with Joel Steel, CEO and co-founder at Komo Technologies, on engaging audiences, plus strategies for loyalty, personalization, and international growth. Watch the episode on YouTube or listen on your favorite audio app.

Slow Productivity Makes the Case for Deep Work

(Source: Portfolio)

Productivity books are nothing new, but Cal Newport's Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout finds refreshing relevancy in old-school thinkers like Galileo and Georgia O'Keefe without reducing them to feel-good platitudes.

Yes, Galileo and Georgia O'Keeffe had the advantage of living in a time before TikTok and Slack notifications — we can't make all modern distractions disappear. However, Newport argues we can recapture the slower-paced productivity of bygone eras. The solution is committing to work blocks free of the "quick checks" of emails, texts, and various pings that exhaust us.

The hopeful outcome isn't just more productivity; it's high-quality results that stand the test of time.

Restaurant Enoteca Maria Celebrates "Nonnas of the World" — and Their Recipes

(Source: Enoteca Maria)

In a city with over 1,600 Italian restaurants, New York's Enoteca Maria manages to stand out. Sure, the Michelin Guide calls the spot a "tiny gem," but the real secret sauce is … the nonnas.

Since 2015, Enoteca's Nonnas of the World program has invited grandmothers across the globe — from Argentina to Uzbekistan — to design, cook and serve a menu based on their unique culinary heritage. "I realized that my grandmother had been the repository of our family culture and identity," writes owner Jody Scaravella. "And found out that, like her, millions of grandmothers all over the world pass down their heritage."

With a consistently sold-out Nonnas Calendar, Enoteca Maria is an example of a good cause becoming the very heart of a business. It's a cross-cultural, cross-generational sharing of knowledge, tradition, and experience that can only happen by way of food.