I have a family member that owns a fabric store. She tells me that it is bothersome that people come into her store , fondle and take photos or notes of her inventory , then go on line to make the purchase. She refers to this is "show casing" where people use the brick and mortar only for those to see the item they are looking to buy online. I find this to be a very brazen act of disregard and a disturbing trend.
I think until there is some act to level out the online shops with brick and mortar.. there will continue to be fewer brick and mortar. The fact that I can instantly save almost 10 percent ( sales tax) by purchasing on line is just one of the issues that come to mind.
But in this age of "access" to almost anything via computer, has had its issues as well. People are not as connected to people , real live face to face interaction. to that point , classes are continuing to be a popular "social" learning experience. Most shops are surviving by their classes, this get people into the shops .. and we all know once there ... we find some fabric that must find its way home.
If shops disappear it would be very upsetting, I enjoy making an "occasion" out of my fabric shopping.