Shoppers are the lifeblood of downtown neighborhoods.
Planners know it helps if they have money to spend, feel reasonably safe, have tickets for an nearby evening event and expect to find great food and entertainment just around the corner. Despite all the new development, retail's ground zero will remain at Westlake. The downtown retail core itself has turned a corner in the last five years, stepping from the brink of blight to the gates of shoppers' heaven. Banana Republic and NikeTown already await them, along with the upscale tenants of City Centre and Westlake Center. Stores like Bang and Olufsen, Teuscher Chocolates and Z Gallerie are some of the new stars at Rainier Square.