Pokémon Go Revives Small Businesses

Roughly 16,000 people call the town of Anacortes, Washington home, but thousands more know this ferry dock location as the ultimate paradise for players of Pokémon Go. When Gary Dear, the owner of a struggling local ice cream shop, suddenly discovered his store was located across the street from several popular PokeStops, business began to turn around quickly. High traffic to the area driven by the game has tripled Dear’s sales some nights, allowing the previously struggling store to hire more staff and extend hours. “Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect it to end like this. I’ve never seen anything take off like this,” Dear told USA Today. Members of the community are reportedly pleased to see the ice cream shop reopen to so much success, expressing amazement that one game could revive an entire business. And Dear’s ice cream shop is not the only business experiencing a financial boom courtesy of the Pokémon Go craze. According to The Guardian, restaurants, museums, and other attractions around the world are reaping the benefits of being located near Pokémon stops. Once again, a successful product is demonstrating clearly that innovation driven by the free market system facilitates growth. So the next time you’re out catching Pokémon, take a moment to look up from your phone and see how the free market is bringing you, and the businesses you patronize as a result of your gaming, a better world.