Kind of ironic that Bloomington, Minnesota, home of America’s largest shopping mall, is looking at developing a “…destination for people who want to gather, walk and wander, with restaurants, housing, places to shop and perhaps amenities such as doctors’ offices and a park.”

An article on StarTribune.com reveals plans for the Penn American District, which encourages shoppers to use public transit so they can get out and walk. This is the kind of area that’s just ripe for smaller retailers to move in to, whether opening for the first time or expanding.

As the article points out, Penn American will be a “new-urbanist haven,” a blossoming community that uses smart development to grow slowly. The implication is that the young and hip will flock there. But there are plenty of boomers like me who are attracted to a lifestyle that discourages vehicles in what feels like a real neighborhood of old. The kind of place where everyone knows the barber and butcher.

In Bloomington, I suspect many empty-nesters would be happy to skip the humongous Mall of America to go live in Penn American. The small retailers who are there to greet them will be in a great position to secure their own futures.

Opportunities like this are popping up all over the country, as I’ve mentioned in previous blogs. It’s not hard to find them. Watch the real estate and business sections of the newspapers, and check online. If you want to be a retail trendsetter, neighborhoods like this could be your chance to shine.