It's a science
These photos look great, but it's hardly a new phenomenon. The original Saturday Night Live cast had a series of sketches about the Scotch Tape Store & it's neighbor, The Puppy Store, in a dying mall.
Retail development is a science - an imperfect 1, but still numbers driven. Where people live, how much they make, how much retail space is already available. Sometimes there's competing projects starting simultaneously so there's an oversupply at completion. But the more usual story is change - sometimes with the demographics of the area, sometimes in the sort of space that retailers want. Downtown storefronts were supplanted by enclosed malls that were then supplanted by big box centers. Now some big boxes are standing empty & the next thing might be on-line retailers who don't need stores. A trend toward livable neighborhoods may drive demand for smaller grocery stores, like the UK based Fresh & Easy chain, in larger numbers than supermarkets.
In real estate as in life. Change happens - adapt or die.
