Can North America’s downtowns reverse their downturns?
Mr Simpson and his co-founder opened Clayton & Crume, an upmarket leather goods outlet, in the city of Louisville, Kentucky, in 2019, six months before the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
After surviving the various lockdowns, he says that customer numbers are still below where they were three years ago.
"I can't say walk-ins and foot traffic are really happening like it was," says Mr Simpson. "So of course the pandemic had an effect."
His shop is based in downtown Louisville, and more specifically in the fashionable East Market or "NuLu" district. This is home to upscale restaurants, bars, art galleries, and other boutique stores.
Clayton & Crume first started serving cocktails in June, and Mr Simpson says the aim is to "make it a...