This portion of the Town functions as the community core and activity center, and is the Town's major tourist attraction due to the variety of retail shopping experiences and the presence of rich historic character. Most of the retail and office establishments are located in Commercial Row. Recently, retail activity has begun to spread west on Donner Pass Road, into the area known locally as Brickelltown, and has also begun to locate on West River Street, across the Southern Pacific tracks from Commercial Row. Residential buildings which traditionally occupied the first block of West River Street have slowly converted to retail, professional and industrial space. Located towards the end of West River Street near Highway 89, are a light industrial park and many heavy industrial facilities.
Retail stores range from clothing and mountaineering stores to unique gifts and specialty items.
Industrial activity encompasses auto services and light industrial to oil and chemical storage and a lumberyard. Future growth of commercial activity in the town is expected to be concentrated east of Commercial Row on a 34.5 acre tract of property owned by Southern Pacific, formerly occupied by a lumber mill. Inventory of Commercial Space Approximately 326,240 square feet of non-residential space has been identified. Elsewhere in the town the vacancy rate for commercial and professional office space and industrial space is approximately 10 percent. Allowing for normal turnover of businesses, a vacancy rate at or below 10 percent is considered healthy by experts.