“…O Lord, the God of my master; Abraham, if you are planning to make my mission a success, please guide me in a special way.”

We are in the midst of one of the largest shifts of our economy that we will experience in our lifetime.  It has been coming for two decades now with all the warnings and telltale signs in front of us, but for many reasons; the past should be a predictor of the future, we’ve always done it this way, we’re smart enough to figure this out, etc., the water kept warming up around us and now it is too late to jump out of the pot.  We are at the end of the road for large format, bricks and mortar retail.  If you like going to a mall to shop, hurry up, because the stores you will find there in the future (if the mall is not converted to another use) won’t be the ones that are there now.  Why all the gloom and doom?  Well, because bankruptcy lawyers had one of their best years ever in 2017 with 50 retailers filing bankruptcy and analysts predicting a 23% increase this year, topping $7 billion dollars.  On the failure watch list according to Fitch ( a real estate analyst publication) are:  “Sears, Neiman Marcus, J Crew, Talbots, Lands’ End and Cole Haan”.  Just this last Friday Macy’s announced the closing of multiple stores here in the Bay Area, part of a nationwide closing plan that will affect 5000 plus jobs. This is going to get worse before it gets better.  However, what this collapse does open the door for is specialty retail.  I don’t know if we are going to be willing to wander around a street or inside a cavernous space to check out these specialty shops and offerings, but highly curated, unique and targeted offerings that command our curiosity and attention, might be the only way through.

It could be that the “special way” has always been the path to success.  We know those in our business lives (and personal lives) who have a special way about them that draws us to them and makes them the ones that other want to follow or listen to.  Abraham’s servant prayed to God to be guided in a special way.  Should that not be our prayer today?  Lord, guide us not in the way of all others, but instead guide us in a special way that comes from you!

Reference:  Genesis 24:42 (New Living Translation)