I'm in Northern California for the annual Organic Produce Summit (OPS) in Monterey, but I decided to detour through San Francisco so I could see the troubled Westfield Mall downtown, which includes a massive Nordstrom flagship that is closing later this summer. I found stores and a city that clearly are troubled, but it also made me think - optimistically, even - about the role that retail can play, and especially retail that focuses on food and beer and wine, nourishing our bodies and souls and our communities.
