Marketplace and attachment. A journey through ordinary and extraordinary consumer experiences

The attribution of meanings to physical places is part of human nature. As any other space, commercial locations can assume important symbolic and emotional value in the creation of individual identity. The present paper seeks to examine the dynamics of place attachment, i.e. the positive, emotional tie that individuals establish with locations that render these locations special and important. While exploring the multiple ways of bonding to places, this study unravels a complexity of relationships which includes both attachment and detachment.