Think global, buy local.

• Position: WESTERN REGION

Asheville has a unique character, with its dozens of locally owned shops and restaurants drawing more than nine million tourists annually. Now, fears that national retailers are ready to pounce on the central business district are prompting talk of a possible ban on chain stores. The controversy stems from plans by Anthropologie, which sells women's clothing and home decor items at more than 200 stores, to add a shop on North Lexington Avenue. It would join a store owned by its Philadelphia-based parent company, Urban Outfitters, which is among a handful of chains in the downtown area. Almost 90% of downtown Asheville's businesses employ fewer than 20 people. To preserve that local flavor, Asheville Downtown Commission member Rebecca Hecht started an online petition urging officials to either regulate or place a moratorium on chain stores downtown. "Allowing large chain and formula stores downtown will eliminate the unique appeal at the core of Asheville's identity," the petition says. "These types of businesses will erode what we value as a community and patina our image of a city that supports small business." Supporters worry that downtown Asheville could resemble King Street in Charleston, S.C., a haven for national retailers.

"As Asheville grows, we...