Introduction. As we slowly emerge from the Great Recession the time has come for downtown organizations to work hard on encouraging small independent retailers to seek affordable rents and for landlords to offer them. If they do not, downtown retail will contract and street level storefronts will be occupied even more by financial and personal service operations – or remain vacant for long periods of time.

True, in many downtowns retail rents have declined during the Great Recession, often substantially. In one I recently visited, for example, asking retail rents have dropped from $45/SF to $30/SF and in some instances even $25/SF. But, as we creep out of recessionary conditions, it is critical that in most downtowns retail rents do not return to unaffordable levels. read entire article here