# A Town Of Substance? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 2, 2022, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593 "2022-10-02T20:29:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2022, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/1 "2022-10-02T20:29:55Z")
How can you tell? This started off as a kind of joke – if there’s a point in a French town from which you can see three pharmacies, you’re in a Town of Substance. The French are keen on their pharmacies. The rule is the same for Belgium, BTW - except there, veterinary pharmacies count as well. What about other places? For some reason I stuck to the formula “If you can see…” So in England I used to say, if there’s a point in a town where you can see three pawn shops, you’re in a Town of Substance – but that doesn’t seem to work any more. (Not because we’re going to hell in a handcart any slower, I think; I suspect it’s just a matter of the sector maturing and consolidating into larger pawn shops.) We took a trip into town at the weekend and, killing time, I tried out a few new possibilities. A point in town where I can see… a betting shop, a vape/CBD shop and a tattoo parlour? Surprising result – I spent the next fifteen minutes (for the first and only time in my life) trying to find a place where I could get a tattoo. Fail. Three vape shops? Yep Three betting establishments? Hell, from one point I can see SIX. Too lax a test. Three nail bars? Ran out of time. A test doesn’t have to follow this formula – it could be anything, really. And we’ll need different test criteria in different places. What’s your quick and handy test of a Town of Substance? j Explainer: Going to Hell in a Handcart > **[Hell In A Handcart, Meaning & Definition - UsingEnglish.com](https://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/hell+in+a+handcart.html)** > > What does the idiom 'Hell in a handcart' mean? Discover the definition of 'Hell in a handcart' in our extensive dictionary of English idioms and idiomatic expressions. Note to discourse: this subject is not similar to [RNC asking me to ‘re-confirm’ that I’m still registered as a Republican](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rnc-asking-me-to-re-confirm-that-im-still-registered-as-a-republican/969722) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/2 "2022-10-03T00:09:44Z")
Pizzerias in Germany. Or Döner places. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/3 "2022-10-03T06:18:55Z")
Canada: convenience stores/dépanneurs, donut shops, and/or gas stations. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/4 "2022-10-03T12:28:32Z")
US: If there is a street corner with 3 or more mattress stores, you have found a Town of Substance. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/5 "2022-10-03T13:00:02Z")
US: gas stations. ---
**Author:** ![Quondam\_Mechanic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quondam_mechanic/32/3404_2.png) [@Quondam\_Mechanic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quondam_Mechanic)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/6 "2022-10-03T13:39:20Z")
I think here in Boston that there’s a law requiring both a bank and an espresso bar at every street corner. To help with compliance, there are now bank branches with built-in espresso bars. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/7 "2022-10-03T17:55:44Z")
U.S.: Starbucks (I’m only sorta joking). ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/8 "2022-10-03T18:21:47Z")
in southern California… its how many hybrid taqueria/burger joints with names like Louis or ,doublz … or straight-out causal Mexican places …like la taco inn la taqueria etc ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/9 "2022-10-03T18:30:36Z")
I’ve joked with my sister that the town she lives in is so small it doesn’t have a Dollar General. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/10 "2022-10-03T19:12:57Z")
Fine suggestions all - and there’s logic to be admired. Well mostly. > [@CaveMike](#): > > …a street corner with 3 or more mattress stores… Uhhh - this one I have to ask about. What’s with the mattress stores? > [@Quondam\_Mechanic](#): > > I think here in Boston that there’s a law requiring both a bank and an espresso bar at every street corner. To help with compliance, there are now bank branches with built-in espresso bars. This is a test I admire. j ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/11 "2022-10-03T20:05:09Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Uhhh - this one I have to ask about. What’s with the mattress stores? In my area (and a lot of other areas) there seem to be a lot of places to buy mattresses. There is a retailer, Mattress Firm, that saturated the area with little stores – many of them across the street from each other. They have since filled for bankruptcy protection and have close a bunch of stores. But what better sign of conspicuous consumption than 3 (or 4) mattress stores on a single corner? Here is a story about this phenomena: > **[Why Are There So Many Mattress Stores? : The Indicator from Planet Money](https://www.npr.org/transcripts/676543180)** > > There are so many mattress stores in the America, and they always seem to be empty. So how can they afford the real estate? And how do they stay in business? ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/12 "2022-10-03T20:43:05Z")
Sheesh! j ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/13 "2022-10-03T20:44:37Z")
The mattress store near my home seems to spend 3 quarters of the year having “going out of business” sales, and 1 quarter of the year having “grand opening” sales, so I would be skeptical about bankruptcy claims. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/14 "2022-10-03T20:48:28Z")
If there are 3 Starbucks within 3 blocks (it counts if one is inside a grocery store), you’re in a Town of Substance. When we were in Oregon earlier this year, weed dispensaries seemed to be about as common as Starbucks on the East Coast. So I guess in that case you’d be in a Town of Controlled Substance. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/15 "2022-10-03T20:51:39Z")
Thread winner! I (genuinely) laughed out loud. j ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/16 "2022-10-03T21:02:26Z")
In the UK a town with more than 30 pubs is okay. More than 50 is a town of substance. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2022, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/17 "2022-10-03T23:49:04Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > Uhhh - this one I have to ask about. What’s with the mattress stores? Not mattresses, hammocks. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/pzSHqwNdVqE/hqdefault.jpg "The Simpsons - The Hammock District") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzSHqwNdVqE) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/18 "2022-10-04T11:33:05Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’ve joked with my sister that the town she lives in is so small it doesn’t have a Dollar General In my area it seems the smaller the town, the _more_ Dollar Generals get built. We have three within walking distance of each other. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/19 "2022-10-04T12:16:44Z")
I visited a small village on the south coast of England where 90% of the shops were antique dealers… ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2022, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593/20 "2022-10-04T12:42:10Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > In my area it seems the smaller the town, the _more_ Dollar Generals get built. We have three within walking distance of each other. Yeah, Dollar General is for towns too small to support a Walmart (realizing that Dollar General also has stores in cities). Actually, in the US, I think a town of substance has a Walmart. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-town-of-substance/972593.md?page=2)