In order to understand more about what Hipsters are, I decided to do a search of what cities they have invaded. I found an interesting study on Infogroup.com that uses statistics to identify the top ‘Hipster Cities’. They found them to be places like Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, and Brooklyn. Hipsters occupy many Cafes and retro bars in major cities, but we find them in local areas too like our towns and communities. Hipsters are everywhere we look and its obvious that its a cultural movement, however who is to say if it is going or coming. Is it near the end or is it just catching track? In the article “Death of a Hipster” I talked about the many points of views and opinions the author found in a Hipster convention he attended.
One interesting idea to explore is the possibility that Hipsterism is good for the economic market. We see conglomerates and monopolies everywhere we go.
One only has to look at this chart to see that many of our favorite brands are controlled by some other brand. Not much of anything is local anymore, or should I say WAS local. We’ve seen a resent emergence of local produce, small companies, new brands and specialized items. Many people have grown tired of buying from these 9 companies and they’ve started to explore that. Is is possible that the recent emergence of these local and specialized brands/stores appearing is related to the emergence of hipsters? We do see hipsters being guilty of trying “organic” foods and “local” produce. We also see the fact that people are buying from places like Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Fresh Market and Local Markets. People are not only shopping with variety in mind, they are also getting healthier foods. People are trading out the trusted brands we all know and love for new ones. Yes, these items can be expensive, but they are still largely popular. Their is also a new craze for “Craft” Beers, IPA’s and local brews. People are making their own beers, wines and liquors to sell and start up their own brands. Cafes are making specialized coffee’s and selling them in local Cafe’s frequented by many. Soaps, hair products and fragrances are made with all natural ingredients now and without all the harmful chemicals. All of these crazes are cultures and products associated with and enjoyed by hipsters! Not just recently, but for awhile now they’ve told people about their foods, drinks and products and now they are catching on. On the other hand, could it be that hipster culture arose as a result of all these new products and crazes. Maybe there is no correlation but it is an interesting topic to dissect.