You're right. The new big box and chain stores avoid downtowns like the plague. They were great locations in the past for chains like Dime Stores, small specialty department stores and the like. However the big boxes sucked up nearly all of that business. At the same time downtowns did not want big boxes coming in, as they would have wanted to mow down the old buildings, build big parking lots, and basically ruin the character of the community. At least two historic downtowns in the region did this. The two I am picturing are Fenton and St. Clair. Both did this early [[late 1960's) and by 1980 they were dead anyway, and ugly to boot! Fenton has 'restored' or maybe 'reshopped' itself and is a much better environment now than it was 20 years ago.