Born blames some of her fellow city council members for allowing the Square to become more commercialized and homogeneous.
"Some of my colleagues want to see development at all cost," Born says.
She says that unless some council members change their attitudes, the Square, will continue to become "more like a mall and more the home of just students and wealthy people."
While Born and her fellow city councillors argue over the future direction of the Square, many small business owners on streets like Mt. Auburn, Brattle and Church, are rapidly being squeezed out of existence by the presence of the large chain stores.
As Le Foot Sportif's Gabai and other small business owners gaze monthly at their losses, they say they are comforted by one fact: in the end it is the consumer who will decide whether the Square becomes a mall or whether small business like their own will continue to figure prominently in the local landscape.
"It is up to the sophisticated consumer if they want to support the small, independent store or the big chain," Gabai says. "The verdict is in their hands."
Michael M. Luo and Andrew A. Green contributed to the reporting of this article.