It's always refreshing to hear about people banding together and breaking down barriers. In the retail world, the competition can be as fierce as the Final Four going down this weekend. But local shop owners are realizing that in order to fight their biggest enemy — the recession — they've got to look past sales figures to talk to each other and work together.

An e-mail to almost 30 locally-owned stores earlier this year has turned into a barrier-busting, information-sharing network that has caught a few participants by surprise, and helped raise awareness of suspected serial shoplifters.

Read the full Charlotte Observer story here.