We’re in a big period of change. Here are 5 recent examples of culture shifts in retail, real estate, and food and beverage.

 

#1: Organic Rolling Papers at The High End (Barney’s new head shop)

Barney’s LA is opening a luxury head shop for customers who have adopted the cannabis lifestyle.

• Along with the organic rolling papers (of course!), you’ll also be able to buy CBD-infused beauty products and $1500 pot grinders.

Similarly, Simon Property Group, the largest owner and operator of malls in the United States, just announced it is partnering with Green Growth Brands (out of Columbus OH) to open 108 CBD stores this year.

As the Motley Fool points out:

• Nearly 22% of Simon’s inline and freestanding stores are due to have their leases expire between 2020 and 2022.
• By aligning themselves with Green Growth Brands Simon Property Group is de-risking potential negatives of lease expirations, especially if the U.S. economy slows.

 

Read on below for 4 more brand/business shifts of note.

 

#2: The new whiskey drinker: young, pierced and female

 

 

This was a category left for dead in the mid/late 2000’s. Kudos to Dewar’s for being among the first to recognize the shift to brown spirits that was happening in the midst of the then vodka boom.

• They saw (and acted upon) what hipsters in Brooklyn, Silver Lake, Portland and Austin.  were drinking i.e. whisky and bourbons versus Cosmopolitans and Grey Goose.
• They even worked with Shepard Fairey’s Studio Number One for strategy and branding, mural program, merchandising and events.
• And now, a decade or so later, the brown spirits category is outpacing all others.
• As noted in the Robb Report: “Whiskey drinkers in their 20s and 30s tend to be very engaged with the brands they love. They’re interested in the maker, the process, the story. They come to festivals and tastings, visit distilleries, and take part in educational programs. Stuff their parents and grandparents never did.”

 

#3: Tastewise’s AI predicts food trends

 

 

This is absolutely brilliant. The Israeli startup Tastewise (created by a former Googler) tracks the food scene in the US by analyzing over 1 billion photos shared every month, menus from more than 150,000 restaurants and one million online recipes, and countless social conversations.

As reported in Forbes: 

• The next big food thing:  Yemeni hot sauce Zhoug is up 129% in social mentions; Ube (or purple yam) up 94%; and bone marrow up 19%.

Other highlights from Tastewise include:

• Restaurant hopping is up 160%, a result of more restaurants specializing in one specific dish. It’s becoming commonplace for diners to go from spot to spot, instagramming their food experiences along the way.
• Nutella is the top new pizza topping in New York, nationwide it is broccoli.

 

#4: Co-working space catering to tradesmen and craftsmen

 

 

• Levco Mechanical Group, a mechanical contractor, bought the former Unilever HQ’s building in Norwalk Ct. and is turning it into a co-working space for tradespeople.
• Per Levco: “This is a new idea that’s different and unique. Tradespeople, contractors, landscapers all usually end up in their own separate buildings. Here they can cohabitate with other people and bounce ideas off each other, or even help each other with servicing their clients, all features regularly touted by white-collar coworking companies.”

 

#5: Demand for astrology and future predictions is booming

 

 

The people behind Psychic & Crystal Readings at 3 Horatio Street will be bringing their tarot cards to West 14th Street, for their fourth location in NYC.

• They’re taking space previously occupied by Metro PC (a T-Mobile store). The lease is for five years.
• Per the Commercial Observer: “The tenant has three stores in the city and is opening the fourth one to meet the demand for astrology and future predictions. The store will have psychic predictions and palm reading.
• Apparently, there are fewer storefront readers as more of the business has gone online but with so many retail vacancies, psychics (and landlords) see storefronts in their future.

 

Bottom Line.

What these 5 examples show is that EVERYTHING is shifting. From mall owners who are looking for replacements for standard retail to co-working expanding to the trades.

I anticipate the next few years will see many businesses and brands get total makeovers to prepare for the future in an increasingly digital world.

It is going to be an extremely interesting (albeit tumultuous) decade of change.