How do locals know which market is losing its original character?
Identity rarely disappears all at once.
Locals often notice when familiar vendors disappear, customer behavior changes, or products become more focused on trends than community needs.
Markets are collections of routines disguised as buildings.
The hidden mechanism is cultural drift. Small changes in products, customers, and priorities slowly alter the identity of a place.
Imagine a market once known for household goods gradually filling with souvenir shops and trendy cafes.
A second-order effect develops because new visitors attract new businesses, while old customers quietly begin visiting less often.
People often think places lose their identity when old buildings disappear. More often, they lose it when old habits do.
