Dear Urban Diplomat: My neighbourhood Facebook group is targeting our local corner store

Dear Urban Diplomat, My neighbours have turned against our local corner store, and it’s not cool. True, the owner is famously cantankerous, but he’s also an institution. One resident just posted a complaint in our Facebook group, and another started looking into arcane zoning technicalities about whether the store is allowed to operate on our street. When did people get so uptight? His foul temper is understandable: he has to deal with shoplifters and marauding teenagers from the nearby middle school every day. I don’t want to start a flame war, but I’d hate to see an online mob run this guy out of business. What can I do? —Grump Supporter, The Annex

Corner stores are, unfortunately, a dying breed. Here’s my take: if a business fills a niche, people will shop there long after the trolls have moved on to the next shiny object. Instead of coming to your shopkeeper’s defence publicly, vote with your wallet and talk up the store to friends. Just make sure to warn them about the owner’s proclivity for prickliness.