Coporate companies have stripped free enterprise away from the independent stores,for they cannot compete.This is called monopoly which is supposed to be illegal.Even small time,or independant farmers cannot compete when coporations buy up all the land put the small businessman out of business.
They still exist, I am lucky enough to live in an area that has plenty of them. All the coffee shops I visit are independent, as is my record store and I always try to eat at local restaurants. Hell even when I drink beer I try to get it from the local breweries.
I was under the impression that their initial decline was not subsequent to Obama or even since the financial crisis (although that will have made things a lot worse), but more steadily over the last thirty years.
They went out way before Obama was even heard of. Believe it or not Obama is not responsible for EVERYTHING that is not good with our society and economy. Mind you I am not protecting him I am Just stating the cold hard facts.
They've been eaten up by the big corporations which have the money and other means to make their business a mega money maker. More and more independent stores are having a hard time keeping afloat with that kind of competition, and it's so sad. I miss the charm of the littler stores. They were more family oriented and homey like.
Thank goodness there is a new wave of support for buying local. My town has amazing home town stores which I patronize as often as I can.