Neighborhood stores, understood as micro-commercial establishments that are not part of chains or franchises, are one of the central cultural and economic elements of traditional neighborhoods in much of the world. This book analyzes their existence and relevance from different perspectives to understand the role of informality in emerging economies. First, a theoretical approach is made from economics and systems theory, accompanied by a statistical characterization of this kind of business. In this sense, different theories are explored on the role of shopkeepers as entrepreneurs—unemployed in disguise—and their role as the central node of this activity in the neighborhood. Subsequently, business informality in emerging economies is analyzed, based on a review of specialized literature on different continents. From this global overview, we move to a case study—the Minuto de Dios neighborhood in the city of Bogotá—to carry out a characterization and intervention of the establishments of a neighborhood designed for the middle class. Regarding interventions, special attention is paid to the digital transformation of shopkeepers, a topic that took on special relevance during the crisis generated by the coronavirus pandemic. The cases of Pereira and Ibagué are analyzed in detail to characterize the response of establishments to this situation.