Comment by wraptile

I live in Thailand as an expat and I have the inverse of your experience and more a kin to this article.

There just so many examples like the ones mentioned in the article. When I lived in Chiang Mai I'd just take my bike to any direction and always find something - be it a small noodle cart or a cafe someone opened up in their back yard or a small bar right under an abandoned hotel.

It's incredible how many invisible effects viability of small businesses have on a society.