Hmm, I guess I considered my idea more of a gimmick than a fleshed out alternative to the mb. You could also add map markers or other icons to show which plots have active shops. There a many ways to increase visibility.

I mean the shop would be ignored by most but a few individuals would take it seriously and make proper work of it. It's up to the player to find them (or not ;p).

I think it is more confusing why you would compare real life neighbourhoods to the ingame districts. The districts are part of a game which implies they are there to offer the player something fun. Whether that's showing off your housing designer skills, shooing people away from your yard or just meeting new people during inactive content .

In the end of the day a personal shop will not be a priority, but I think it doesn't hurt to have multiple options to make the wards more interesting, other than having a house/appartment.