The Restructuring of Retail Capital and the Street

In recent years retail geography has featured theoretically rich debates about the restructuring of retail capital and the ways in which this restructuring has changed the dynamics of retailing. New spatial forms of retailing have emerged: the redeveloped retail street in the American urban landscape is one such form. National and multinational chain stores are invading small, main street spaces, which has economic and cultural implications for retailers and consumers. Old Town Pasadena in Pasadena, California, is examined as a case study to trace investment and disinvestment in the retail space of Colorado Boulevard throughout the twentieth century. In addition to archival documents, assessed land and improvement values are examined to reveal the changing dynamics of retail spatiality over a 100‐year period.