Brick and mortar (also
bricks and mortar or
B&M) in its simplest usage describes the physical presence of a building(s) or other structure. The term
brick-and-mortar business is often used to refer to a company that possesses buildings, production facilities, or store for operations. The name is a
metonym derived from the traditional building materials associated with physical buildings: bricks and
mortar. The term was originally used by
Charles Dickens in the book
Little Dorrit.