West End Vs. Downtown for Retail Businesses

REI is coming to Billings on the west end at the corner of King and Shiloh. 23,000 square feet of recreational heaven for outdoor enthusiasts. It's another business that knows that downtown is not where it's at. Retail has changed and downtowns are now for restaurants, bars and banks. Not to mention, online shopping has hurt small downtown retail stores. The days of shopping downtown have just about been eliminated by most people so the more restaurants, like the new Rex, the better the chance of survival.