Small businesses have been trying to entice people into Nanaimo's downtown core for years. Now, owners say Commercial Street is at a crucial turning point that could see it develop into a community and retail hub in the heart of the city. 

But times aren't easy for traditional retail businesses.

The number of people shopping online is going up every year, according to StatsCan, putting further pressure on small brick-and-mortar businesses.

One of the downtown's anchor stores — a menswear store cal…