The Store in the Hood

The story of ethnics and enterprise captures both the American dream and the American nightmare, since the same people who seem to be pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, seem to also find themselves in conflict with their neighbors and customers. In The Store in the Hood, Steven Gold revisits this American perennial, taking the long view to tell a surprising story about the conflicts both engendered and avoided by the past century’s waves of ethnic entrepreneurs. This deeply researched, well-written book will appeal to students and scholars alike. -- Roger Waldinger, distinguished professor of sociology, UCLA
The Store in the Hood offers a nuanced, thoughtful, and thorough account of merchant/customer conflicts in underprivileged racial minority communities over the span of one hundred years in American society. It dispels the myths about ethnic entrepreneurship and compels readers to think critically beyond existing theories and empirical findings. -- Min Zhou, Tan Lark Sye Chair Professor of Sociology at Nanyang Technological University and co-author of The Asian American Achievement Paradox
This is a fascinating study, offering fresh insights in a lucid style, from a master sociologist with a keen sense of history. -- Reed Ueda, Tufts University
Steven Gold has written an enlightening book, full of rich material, that brings fresh perspectives to a familiar American story: conflicts between immigrant and ethnic merchants and their customers. Providing fascinating case studies that take us from the early 20th century to the present, The Store in the Hood is an important addition to the literature on ethnic entrepreneurs. -- Nancy Foner, distinguished professor of sociology, Hunter College and Graduate Center of the City University of New York
The Store in the Hood is a comprehensive study of conflicts between immigrant merchants and customers throughout the U.S. during the 20th century....This book develops a more nuanced understanding by exploring merchant/customer conflicts over the past hundred years across a wide range of ethnic groups and settings. Utilizing published research, official statistics, interviews, and ethnographic data collected from diverse locations, the book reveals how powerful groups and institutions have shaped the environments in which merchant/customer conflicts occur. * Cuss Newsletter: American Sociological Association *
The continuing political debates about immigration make clear that race, ethnicity, and economics remain at the forefront of US national discourse. This study offers a historical overview of the relations between ethnic entrepreneurs and their customers. Because the merchant was often racially or ethnically different from the customers where the business was located, conflict was a common part of the relationship. Paradoxically, the business could be viewed as both a problem and a solution. By analyzing the topic in chronological periods, Gold (Michigan State Univ.) illustrates the complexity of American social and economic development and the obstacles that confronted immigrants and native black populations. For example, Italians, Greeks, Jews, Chinese, and others encountered open and frequently violent resistance to their economic ventures during the early 20th century. The Depression and WW II eras were characterized by racial hostility and antagonism, particularly toward entrepreneurs, and the ensuing postwar civil rights movement generated its own unique set of urban economic issues. Those issues are described in a case study of ethnic merchants in Detroit, the largest black majority city in the US. Overall, Gold provides an insightful treatment of minority groups and business opportunity in America. Summing Up: Highly recommended. * CHOICE *
...The Store in the Hood offers the most expansive and multi-faceted take on ethnic businesses available to date. Gold has a unique command on the literature of immigrant and minority businesses, a literature he helped construct. This book is strongly recommended for those interested in race relations generally and ethnic entrepreneurship in particular. * Ethnic and Racial Studies *
What makes this book unique is its elegant synthesis of historical data and sociological theories on entrepreneurship and ethnic conflict. * Contexts *
Gold takes a topic that has been indirectly addressed in several studies of ethnic business and tackles it head-on with a refreshing, unique approach.... Overall, Gold has written an easily accessible, informative book that will appeal to students and faculty in a variety of fields, as well as anyone interested in learning more about the sociological factors that lead to conflict between business owners and those they serve. * Contemporary Sociology *
“The Store in the hood is a thorough account of merchant-customer conflicts in under privileged racial minority communities over the span of 100 years in urban America. Gold takes a chronological approach to unfold the phenomenon and explore variations in detail.” “One of the key insights of Gold’s study is its attention to multiple levels of analyses, different historical periods, and diverse contexts. Gold appreciates the significance of historical and contextual factors, showing how time and space have affected intergroup dynamics and how powerful groups and institutions have shaped the environments in which merchant-customer conflicts occur.” “The Store in the Hood offers a sophisticated understanding of the lives, challenges, and interpersonal relations that the merchants and their underprivileged customers confront on a daily basis in urban America throughout the entire 20th century. It dispels inaccurate assumptions and myths about ethnic entrepreneurship, and compels readers to think critically beyond established theories and empirical findings” * City & Community *