I'll start: I'm not seeing any effects from the economic slowdown. I live in the SF Bay Area and despite all of the layoffs we are seeing, I don't see it being reflected in the economy at all. In fact real estate prices are stable or slightly going up in my neighborhood.
Crippling costs paired with crumbling public services have decimated people's prospects and savings, the ridiculously overinflated housing market is making it ever harder for people to stand on their own feet, high streets are ghost towns and the job market is flatlining because salaries are so dire.
There are plenty of anecdotes of people here being forced to choose between heating and eating but there’s a significant part of the population that can't really afford to do either.
One of them was open since the 80's and two of the others for at least 12 years.
Kids had a playdate last week. The other dad works for an industrial machine manufacturer and said that they were completely booked out until late 2024. They are still getting calls asking about lead time; when they say 2 years for delivery, they are still getting a signed contract and massive deposit.
Run an e-commerce business and see no signs of business slowing down.
Local cafe I know the owner of is growing too.