You've Got Mailｂ?

Question

In the "You've Got Mail" FRANK NAVASKY says as follows;

The Shop Around the Corner kind of has a Jeffersonian purity to it that the city needs in order to maintain historical integrity.

What is "a Jeffersonian purity" and what does Frank want to say?

Answer 1

Jeffersonian: The absence of pomp or display which Jefferson aimed at in his administration as President (1801-1809), eschewing display or ceremony tending to distinguish the President from the people, as in going to the capital on horseback and with no escort, the abolition of court etiquette and the weekly levee, refusal to recognize titles of honor, etc.

Purity:1. The quality or condition of being pure.
2. A quantitative assessment of homogeneity or uniformity.
3. Freedom from sin or guilt; innocence; chastity

I think he was trying to say that The Shop Around the Corner is not Pompous but wholesome- not a chain. So it is part of the history of New York City and should therefore not be taken over by a chain like Fox Books.