I'd say the contrarian play is in figuring out what need these places used to fill, and understanding where the business is going to go. For instance, record

I'd say the contrarian play is in figuring out what need these places used to fill, and understanding where the business is going to go. For instance, record stores are almost certainly a shrinking business. Between walmart picking up the high volume on top hits CD's and iTunes covering that and everything else, it seems like it would be hard to get into the business of selling hard copies of music... But people still really like to get together to appreciate music. I'm old enough to have browsed for hours at Tower Records - using a CD purchase as an excuse to enjoy being in a record store, around all the other music geeks. The 90s were not exactly a match for the glory days of the 70s at record stores, from what I've heard, but it was still pretty great, and I'm sad they're going away. Maybe this will create an opportunity somewhere new. Not in a record store, but in something that will give people what they used to get from the record store. iTunes and WalMart may very well take the business of selling copies of music, but I doubt they can replace that atmosphere... so either it will go away, or it will live someplace new. I'd bet on the second. Of course, the new venu may just be some speakers in a dorm room, so this isn't necessarily a business opportunity... maybe just a cultural shift.