From silks to spices: changing processes of retailing and consumption in eighteenth-century English towns

Consumption is often cited as a meta-narrative for historical change. The eighteenth century has contentiously been presented as the stage for a “consumer revolution” in Britain, a process of transformation variously linked to British imperialism, industrial development, social mobility, global trade, and urban development. Related concepts such as politeness, luxury, and taste have been central to this work, and have been presented as the ideas that shaped consumer choice and the shopping experience. This narrative presents eighteenth-century Britain as a flourishing mercantile nation, in which fixed urban shops became more abundant, and shopping became a skilled and pleasurable experience. This plethora of retailers stocked a bountiful supply of goods, giving the customer access to a locally and globally sourced array of products, from domestically produced silks to imported and exotic spices.