Then the rent is too high for the ground-floor businesses. Lower the rent to allow niche retailers to use those storefronts as the physical presence for a large

Then the rent is too high for the ground-floor businesses. Lower the rent to allow niche retailers to use those storefronts as the physical presence for a largely online business. However, it’s often in the owner’s financial interest to leave them vacant at a high rent so they can make up the difference by charging extortionate rents to the businesses who bring in enough revenue to afford it. That’s why those first floors are inevitably filled with banks, Starbucks, and Chipotle.