Small Businesses is it a dying breed?????

I hope the day never comes when we are over run by big chain department stores. I was at a city meeting and the city manager is trying to revitalize the city by bringing in big chain discount department stores. Ok this city already has a Kholes and a Ross why do they need two more????? This was my question to him and his answer "to attract people to the city". I asked him "why can't we attract small businesses"? His response "small business are a dying breed." At that moment I was saddened. I did express my deep heart ache and half of me agreed and the other half is still a believer of the entrepreneurial dreamer. The argumentative fighter I am asked if he would reconsider his decision and look to allowing small businesses to come to the city he agreed. So now here I am trying to attract entrepreneurial dreamers to open shop in this undesirable economic crunch that were in. I am believer that small businesses can thrive. I am saddened to think of the day when personal customer service is out the door and we're left with a cold miserable sales people to help us. Vision is my favorite thing to see carried out in a small business and to here it from the owner of why they started the business is "The American Dream" come to a reality!