CLARKSBURG. (AP) — One of Kenny Davidson's favorite childhood memories is going downtown on Saturday mornings.

He and his family would circle the downtown city blocks searching for an available parking space downtown Buckhannon was bustling in those days.

Once he was out of the car, he could find anything he wanted. Toy stores and candy vendors were all within just a few blocks.

"The streets were just full of people," he said.

Davidson, now the mayor of Buckhannon, lives in a city that bears little resemblance to the Buckhannon of his youth.

Many of the stores have closed down over the past 35 years, replaced with professional office spaces. A handful of downtown restaurants remain and even fewer mom-and-pop retail shops in the area have survived.

Wal-Mart opened in Buckhannon in the late 1990s, and Davidson partly attributes the decline in downtown business culture to the megastore's success.

"I read a study several years back that said when a Wal-Mart locates in your town, there are 13 smaller businesses that go out of business," he said.

Despite the change in scenery, Davidson said Buckhannon is doing "pretty good" with retaining its downtown businesses.

"I think we have problems that are similar to a lot of towns that have been bypassed by a major highway a lot of our retail establishments are suffering."

Local government leaders in the surrounding area agree with Davidson.

"We can clearly do better in attracting a mix of merchants to downtown," said Clarksburg City Councilman Jim Hunt.

Hunt said it's important for city residents to have realistic expectations about the vitality of their downtowns.

"It's not going to look like Charleston, South Carolina," he said.

Downtown businesses will benefit if more residents are living downtown, he said.

"The number one thing in every city is that downtown housing makes downtowns more vibrant. Charleston, South Carolina, is vibrant because the students live downtown," he said.

"If there is an opportunity to get more homeowners downtown, we need to take advantage of it."

Clarksburg City Manager Martin Howe said the city's tax abatement program has proven successful in attracting some businesses to the area.

Recently, Fusion Technologies LLC, formerly of Fairmont, relocated its headquarters to Clarksburg's historic Glen Elk Village. John Bott, a managing partner with the company, said that Fusion plans to take advantage of the abatement program.

The program offers new businesses a 100 percent business and occupation tax discount for the first year. For the next three years, the tax is slowly increased and the company is expected to pay the full tax starting the fourth year.

Howe said that if a company makes a "substantial investment" in its business it will be eligible for additional tax breaks.

He also credited the facade improvement program and recent investments in infrastructure with attracting more businesses.

Another available low interest loan for new businesses will come from the Harrison County Economic Alliance Corporation, said David Jones, chairman of the board for the Harrison County Chamber of Commerce.

Individual loans range from $5,000 to $250,000. Interest rates will be set at the prime rate of interest on the closing day of the loan, he said.

Jones said the loan will target "downtown revitalization and infrastructure needs." It is available to any new or existing business looking to expand operations in Harrison County.

"We're really excited about this. We think it's going to be our own little economic stimulus package," he said.

Hunt pointed out that malls are now having a more difficult time filling store spaces due to the global economic downturn. He said the recession could lead to a more localized, or downtown-centric, economy.

"Downtowns have the ability to revitalize more quickly and cost-effectively than malls do. It takes millions of dollars to prop up a dying mall," Hunt said.