Today, 14 years after the giant retailer opened one of its first Utah stores here, Tooele's old Main Street business district is defined by empty storefronts and the few brave entrepreneurs who dare open shop there.

"The core businesses that had been in Tooele, who over the years had built a thriving downtown, were totally ruined within a year," said former Main Street businessman Brent Christensen of Wal-Mart's May 1990 opening.

That doesn't mean the town isn't bustling. It is.

The activity, however, is about 1 1/2 miles north of the old downtown in the area surrounding Wal-Mart. Strip malls and restaurants have sprouted where retailers troll for traffic headed to and from the nation's biggest retailer.

Tooele's north end boasts such businesses as Auto Zone, Great Clips, a GNC vitamin supplement store, Carl's Jr., Jiffy Lube, Wingers, Blockbuster and Ford and Chevrolet dealerships, among others. Even McDonald's abandoned its downtown digs for a spot closer to Wal-Mart.

In 2000, Wal-Mart moved across Highway 36 into a new, 200,000-square-foot supercenter. A True Value hardware store and a C-A-L Ranch agricultural center set up in Wal-Mart's former home.

The invasion of chains and franchises could make it look like Anywhere U.S.A. were it not for Tooele Valley's unique topography, which includes Deseret Peak and the nearby Great Salt Lake.

"There is no doubt that Tooele is a different community now than it was then," said Mayor Charlie Roberts of the period since Wal-Mart's arrival. Main Street's vacancy rate, he noted, "is 50 percent or more."

Presently, Riverton and Centerville are considering Wal-Mart proposals. Corporate officials have impressed upon city leaders that the big-box behemoth will bring a big-time sales boom to municipal coffers.

In Tooele, gross retail sales have more than tripled since Wal-Mart dropped anchor - from about $75 million in 1990 to $255 million in 2003. The city captures about 1 percent of that total, said Glenn Caldwell, Tooele's director of finance.

During the same period, the city's population doubled - from 13,887 to 27,052.

Tooele's Wal-Mart was one of the first to open in Utah. Locals welcomed the discount store, Roberts recalled. It meant that area residents could buy just about anything without driving to Salt Lake City.

"Open arms is a good way to describe it. The community thought it was great," the mayor said.

Well, not quite the entire community.

Christensen, who owned and operated Christensen's Department Store in Tooele's old downtown, said he was among those who fell victim to Wal-Mart's vast marketing power that promises "always low prices."

Because Wal-Mart was new to Utah, Christensen said he and other Main Street business operators were concerned, but didn't know exactly what to expect. They soon found out: Not only could they not compete with Wal-Mart's prices, but the large retailer sucked customers away from downtown as well.

"Wal-Mart aggressively stomps out competition," Christensen said. "They were selling merchandise for less than we could buy it wholesale."

The old Main Street retail district has remained largely empty since then, he explained. "A few businesses have opened up in downtown because of the cheap leases. But most close down quickly because there is very little shopping traffic. If it weren't for the post office, City Hall and the local newspaper, downtown would be virtually deserted."

Nonetheless, Al & Lid's Furniture & Appliance, a 50-year-old Tooele mainstay, has hung on and even prospered, owner Sonia Liddiard said.

"We used to have electronics and TVs. That's what started this business - TVs," she said. "But we just couldn't compete. We couldn't buy in the volume that Wal-Mart does."

So Al & Lid's dropped its electronics lines and shifted its emphasis to furniture, floor coverings and major appliances such as refrigerators, ranges, washers and dryers. In 1997, Al & Lid's moved into a new 20,000-square-foot store but remained downtown, just off Main on Vine Street.

"Everyone's got to find their own niche," Liddiard said.

A relative newcomer to downtown is All About Cakes, 19 N. Main St., which thrives on sales of specialty items for cake making. The shop also bakes decorative cakes to order for weddings and other occasions.

Owner Lonnie Cato said she opened the shop 15 months ago because the area has a quaint atmosphere and the rent is reasonable. But she would like to see more foot traffic on Main Street.

"We've got to bring more people down here," Cato said. "We don't want to let Main Street die."

Just down the street, Aimee Stewart recently posted an "open" sign at the Sweet Pea Boutique, which sells new and used baby and toddler clothing. With its venerable buildings, Stewart says, the old district could become a shopping destination again.

"We did look down by Wal-Mart for a storefront. But we thought this was a better place to do it," Stewart said. "Downtown looks sad with all its empty buildings. But I think it has a ton of possibilities."

The historic structures that line Main and Vine where they intersect at the heart of Tooele's downtown are the stuff that history buffs in places such as Park City might envy. But whether the area can make a transition back to an active retail zone remains a big question.

"Some people say, 'Bring in the bulldozers and knock it all down,' " the mayor said. "Realistically, you're not going to have Barnes & Noble or Old Navy coming in here."

But officials are studying how to revitalize the area, he said. "Our future in downtown is in specialty shops. It can work, but it won't just happen by itself."

The story of historic downtowns convulsing as Wal-Mart prospers is hardly new. For the past two decades, Wal-Mart has left its imprint as it became, first, the nation's largest retailer, and then America's biggest business.

Through it all, says Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sharon Weber, the company has spurred economic development. "A lot of businesses like to build around Wal-Mart. There has been tremendous growth in Tooele around us."

As for snuffing out downtown, she said that just isn't so. "We see so many small towns flourish when they find their own identity," she said. "We all thrive on competition. It makes us all better."

And even Christensen, who is now involved in an Internet start-up business, can finally accept that premise.

"What it's about now is adapting and changing," he said. "When Wal-Mart comes in, like it or not, you have to adapt and change."

csmart@sltrib.com