Storefront waitlists are back in several Maryland downtowns, and foot-traffic data in the strongest corridors is now running ahead of 2019 levels. The retail apocalypse narrative missed what was actually happening on main streets.

What returned is not the old retail mix. Services, food and drink, and experiential businesses dominate the new leases. The storefronts that survived sell things you cannot download.

The cities winning share a pattern: walkable cores, active business improvement districts, and property owners willing to bet on local operators.