By Galen Moore

From the windows of Mass High Tech’s newsroom, I can’t count construction cranes on the Manhattan skyline. Other folkloric indicators of economic activity, such as men’s underwear sales, are also closed to my view. However, as I chew over the good news that our recession is over, I’ve had my eye on another trend that may not augur well for our region: Business is booming on Craigslist’s Boston site. As of August, listings in the Boston site’s “business” category ­­— where business owners go to sell unneeded furniture and equipment — have doubled over the past two years.

Similar listings quadrupled nationwide, according to a Craigslist spokeswoman. The listings include everything from office supplies to entire businesses — such as La Bella’s Fine Foods, a catering and café business in Medford that the owner says needs a capital investment to get profitable again.

Craigslist’s overall traffic has grown steadily through the recession. In August 2009, the San Francisco-based online classified marketplace saw 11.6 million more visitors than it saw in August 2008. The site’s 25.6 percent growth, compared with its traffic a year ago, vastly outstripped the Internet at large, where the number of monthly users grew by 4 percent in the same time frame.

“Things are really slow,” said Tony La Bella, the eight-year owner of La Bella’s Fine Foods. “From where I am, it’s probably best to let somebody take it and see what they can do with it.” (more…)