The main thing it did for the stores is that it drew all the business away from the few downtown projects like Riverplace, Bandana Square, Gavidae Common, Nicollet Ave, etc. that were meant to be shopping areas that kept people in the city longer, and create more of a mix for the downtowns of Minneapolis/St. Paul.    From Wordnik.com.  [Friday, May 22 – The Bleat.] Reference