I'm no fan of the recent crop of shops selling "vapes" and "exotics" in Upstate NY.

But man, in some of these gloomy, lifeless towns, many of these stores are insanely lively. The contrast is wild -- you're walking down an overcast, trashy, empty street, and step into one of these shops to buy a drink. Instantly -- bright lights, loud Arabic pop music, live plants growing out of the ceiling, fist-bumps and smiles from a bunch of Moroccan guys you've never met.

I stopped in one to buy a drink yesterday. I was stunned. Absolutely the most lively, energetic place in the whole city. People even hang out at these places, friends get together and relax on weekends, evenings, or if unemployed, all day.

You don't see this kind of energy anywhere else. I guess no amount of bemoaning the rise of these stores will change the fact that people go to wherever the energy is. And by contrast, the churches, theaters, and social clubs around here are sleepy, dead, empty, seldom open, and often oppressively quiet and drab. People are never there because the people who care about them are people with very little free time.

Those aiming to create a meaningful revival of old-school community in their areas should take note of this. If your efforts don't produce a vibrant, energetic, organically social space where people can hang out for very little money -- you just won't compete with the "exotics" shops in some towns.