Is the High End Bubble About to Burst?

Several readers have pointed to Monday's Wall Street Journal piece, "Consumers Curb Upscale Buying As Gasoline Prices, Housing Bite" and expressed concern that the high end beer boom, as exemplified this year with imports and crafts each up 11% year-to-date, may start to slow as high gas prices and soft housing values start to chip away at consumers' disposable income. The WSJ points to soft sales at high end retailers such as Whole Foods and William Sonoma, as well as