Thayer Street

Providence's Thayer Street used to be home to the most eclectic and interesting independent and locally owned shops, but is now pretty much a blah food court, with lots and lots of restaurants and a few national chains you'll find everywhere else in America. There are still a few holdouts and exceptions, but it's not anywhere close to how cool and amazing it once was. Developers and landlords have led the street astray in favor of making as much money as possible. Because of this, Thayer has lost its soul. Even its historic buildings are disappearing one by one, being replaced by tasteless new construction that not only is ruining the look of the district, but also causing rents to climb to levels that just don't work for real small businesses.