Will the chains swallow main street?(Commentary)

BOOTHBAY HARBOR, Maine -- Cast your eyes up and down the streets of this wonderfully walkable Maine seaside town where lobstermen rub shoulders with summertime tourists and you see scarcely a sign of a national chain. Starbucks, Banana Republic, Holiday Inn, Barnes & Noble, Victoria's Secret--they're obvious by their absence.

Instead, a stroll through Boothbay Harbor brings you past places such as the Boothbay Fudge Factory, Grover's Trustworthy Hardware, the Mung Bean Gift Shop (featuring Maine crafts), the Tugboat Inn, and Sherman's two floors of everything under the sun from great books to lobster earrings. In Mollie Hutchins' dress shop, I discovered an applique pattern dress that looked right for my 6-year-old granddaughter. But 1 wasn't sure about the size. "Don't worry," said Mollie, "if it doesn't fit, just mail it back to me and I'll make her another."

Later, checking with Jaimie Kleinstiver, director of Boothbay Harbor's Chamber of Commerce, I discovered I'd missed a Rite Aid and a Subway somewhere in town. But Boothbay has "absolutely no chain hotels or motels," said Kleinstiver, rather proudly.

Part of Boothbay Harbor's freedom from national chains, their big signs and plastic hard sells is that coastal Maine's economy is so seasonal. And why, pray tell, would a Wal-Mart or other big box retailer want to locate at the end of a 10-mile peninsula?

But the reasons go deeper. "We're Yankees," said Kleinstiver. "We don't want to be like everyone else. We take pride in our individuality--people, architecture, businesses. Our hospitality reflects that. It's very personal."

The disturbing reality is that more and more American towns and cities--especially those that would like to preserve their local culture and to grow their own local retailers and innkeepers--are facing a tough dilemma.

As people have begun to flow back into cities and towns, many of the "formula" chain stores and restaurants that populate suburban malls and strip shopping centers have decided to come to town too. From San Francisco to St. Paul, and from Tampa, Fla., to Coronado. Calif., cities and towns fearful of losing their uniqueness are trying to limit numbers of chain restaurants and retailers or setting strict size and design requirements to keep them at bay.