While sold signs have been quick to spring up on residential units in new downtown developments, new retail in the city's core has been slow to follow. In recent months, the plans for retail at Shelburne Plaza have been significantly downsized, and a lack of demand for retail was cited as a driving factor in the scrapping of a proposed development near Thoroughbred Park. It has led some to speculate on what it will take to make downtown attractive for new retail investments, and whether a truly vibrant downtown can exist without a strong retail base.
Despite these concerns, some retail shops at the city's largest downtown shopping destinations, Lexington Center and Victorian Square, have survived for decades. In speaking with downtown store owners about their businesses, it's clear that they still face the same persistent challenges that have plagued the city's center for years รณ namely the nagging misperception of parking problems and a lack of interest from many of the city's suburban dwellers. At the same time, however, growth in convention traffic, more patronage from the local college crowd, and a slowly growing contingent of customers tired of fighting the suburban holiday shopping crowds have been positive signs for downtown retail locations.
"We are more the local tourist center," said Caroline Puterbaugh, mall manager for Lexington Center. "The community really doesn't come down and support downtown retail like they should. We do have our regular customers who come in from the community, but that's not what supports the merchants.
What has been driving business for the Shops at Lexington Center is the growing stream of convention goers