After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, someone finally spoke. Surprisingly, it was Marnid, who had just returned from Eriador.
"My lord, if you want trade to genuinely improve the residents' lives, relying on traveling merchants alone won't work. If you permit it, I suggest finding a site outside town and building a market, then renting it out to merchants willing to open shops here. That would make them much more dependent on us. From what I observed in the Shire, Bree, and elsewhere, this is quite feasible. Those places seem to have been free of war for a long time, and their markets have reached a relatively saturated state. Our town should still hold considerable appeal for them."
Allen raised his eyebrows after hearing this and motioned for Marnid to continue. In his view, trade could play a crucial role in a town's development, no matter which world it was in. Wilderness Town now had a large population, but it was a commercial desert. Only the Cabinet's state-run shops expanded as the population grew, meeting people's basic daily needs.
There was little else. A few enterprising townspeople had pooled their resources to raise livestock, while some families bought pelts from hunters and sewed clothing to supplement their income. Beyond that, there were only small businesses selling pastries, game, and the like.
Seeing that Allen was pleased with his answer, Marnid spoke a little more loudly.
"Once the market is established, any townspeople interested in business could rent a small shop and give it a try. I've heard that Dale produces a great many toys. They could buy some there and bring them back to sell. Dwarven jewelry is also very popular in Eriador, and the Woodland Realm is said to have some exquisite goods