‘One by one they are going away’: 20+ Businesses That Are Declining Because They Fail to Interest Younger Generations

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Jul 24, 2026 9:45 AM EDT

What business did you use to go to with your mom as a kid that you don't think you saw in the last 10 years?

Try as we might to avoid it, the world is changing. It is not just AI that is taking people's jobs; there are simply businesses that become less and less needed due to the changes in the world. 

For example, fast fashion became a huge thing, which resulted in the ability for people to find clothes and shoes for much cheaper than before. Sure, they might not last as long as the clothes in high fashion stores, but that only means that people would much rather buy a new item of clothing than get an old one fixed. 

That is why people like my grandfather, who had a shoe repair store in town, saw the business need slowly disappear. Who wants to pay someone to fix their one-year-old shoe when they can buy a similar one for almost the same price?

Some businesses are declining due to other reasons, not just the introduction of cheaper models. A month ago, my parents booked a vacation with their travel agent, which made me wonder how much work a travel agent actually has these days. The internet now has everything someone might need to book a vacation, including a bot that acts as your travel agent and answers all of your questions. But still, people from my parents' generation would prefer having another person book their flights and their hotels, even if they end up paying more for the service. Younger generations might not see the appeal, which means it is only a matter of time before travel agencies go out of business. 

Unfortunately, many businesses experience struggles for different reasons, until all that will be left are posts like the one below, wondering where they all went to…

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  • What businesses do you think are quietly declining because younger generations aren't interested in them?
    via Beautiful-North6729
  • orid7 Mall portrait studios are the ghost example nobody mentions. The whole industry got replaced by an iPhone in portrait mode and one aunt who owns a ring light.
    via orid7
  • Zetsubou51 Cobblers. You know how hard it is to find a good shoe repair outside of a large city? I get that most footwear is disposable and not worth the money. That in itself is a problem. I would really like my boots repaired and re-soled locally though.
    via Zetsubou51
  • A working cobbler.
    via Pablo Merchán Montes

    A working cobbler.

    Subject is a model.

  • xMogwai Why the f are birthday cards $6-$8 dollars at my grocery store
    via xMogwai
  • Logical-Slice-3976 Small repair stores like vacuum, clocks, and shoes..
    via Logical-Slice-3976
  • captain_underpants04 fine china stores. lots of younger people i know would rather have dishwasher-safe plates than cabinets full of dishes nobody can touch.
    via captain_underpants04
  • No-Owl-6246 Historical societies. My parents belong to one that does an annual conference every year. They don't bring in anyone young (everyone was very excited when a guy in his
    via No-Owl-6246
  • forties joined and went) and the memberships are d_ng off. My mom said that they had seven members d hs since last years conference.
    via No-Owl-6246
  • yunoeconbro Piano tuners. You can't give away an upright piano these days.
    via yunoeconbro
  • PaigePossum Travel agents. The internet certainly isn't helping but the handful of people I've known that have recently used a travel agent are older (40+)
    via PaigePossum
  • A travel agent working with a customer.
    via Africa images

    A travel agent working with a customer.

    Subjects are models.

  • BuckTeasdale Print media of any kind. We used to love magazines: From The New Yorker to Sl. My mom read Women's Wear Daily, basically a fashion mag in a color newspaper
    via BuckTeasdale
  • fashion mag in a color newspaper format. I never see kids with comics, magazines, newspapers, or any paper really. It's all screens, all the time.
    via BuckTeasdale
  • riali29 Volunteer-run things are slowly d, ing because we don't have free time, especially in higher COL areas where people are doing side gigs outside of their day job. My
    via riali29
  • hometown had a totally free volunteer-run (even the people doing the artist bookings, permits, etc, were volunteers) folk festival every summer, and it had to stop running due to a lack of volunteers.
    via riali29
  • DetectiveHappy2442 Whatever industry is behind or benefits from class reunions? I don't see them being a big draw for Gen Z. They can "keep in touch" via socials without need to spend $100 per ticket on a meh catered dinner every 10 years.
    via DetectiveHappy2442
  • grchap91 i think a lot of it is this generation just has less disposable income so it may be more affordability than lack of interest
    via grchap91
  • PlayfulFail6478 Fabric softener is quietly disappearing from grocery carts because younger shoppers realized it actually ruins your clothes and wastes money.
    via PlayfulFail6478
  • drsfmd Bowling Alleys... one by one they are going away. Of course, they largely caused it themselves. The bowling alleys in my area cater almost exclusively to leagues, so there's little
    via drsfmd
  • recreational time, and it's fairly expensive for what you get... so there's little incentive for someone to practice and learn the sport.
    via drsfmd
  • hillakilla Country clubs. As someone who's worked at them for the last decade, I think once the boomers c› off so will the majority of the clubs.
    via hillakilla_
  • I've worked in 3 different ones and every one has an average age of 70. The current one I work at has maybe 30 members under the age of 45, and we have over 600 members.
    via hillakilla_

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small business work gen x generations gen z boomers change business discourse
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