You see them across suburbia and our nation's heartland: Home
Depot, Target, Best Buy, Wal-Mart and other big-box retailers.
Until recently, many have shied away from larger cities,
especially New York, fearing high real estate costs and space
limitations. But that's changing now as big-box retailers
converge on urban America, eager to tap this lucrative market.
Home Depot has long had a presence in cities from coast to
coast. The world's largest home improvement chain has been in
the outer boroughs of New York since the mid-1990s. Now, the
Atlanta-based company will open at least two high-profile stores
in Manhattan this year. The chain has even launched a series of
smaller stores, geared solely for the big-city market. The
stores' format is about half the average size, with a selection
of products tailored specifically for the needs of the
neighborhood.  Now, others like Best Buy, Target and Kohl's also
want to win the hearts (and wallets) of city shoppers.  The
challenges of building big boxes in large c