Today, we’re bringing you the best from another KUOW podcast, Booming…

The middle class economy is quintessentially American. It’s a whole range of businesses that cropped up to serve the growing middle class after World War II. 

Think coffee and apple pie at your neighborhood diner. Or back-to- school shopping at Sears.  

But companies that cater to the middle class are cratering under the weight of the affordability crisis.  

Why is the middle economy disappearing? And what does it mean for the businesses we love?

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