If this is an indication of economic creative destruction, then it might be positive in the long run, but that might not be what’s going on:

The long feared “retail apocalypse” may be hitting with little or no fanfare if a growing list of store-closing plans by major chains is any indication.

Major U.S. retailers have announced the closing of more than 6,000 stores from coast to coast. The list includes only those retailers that have announced plans to close more than 10 outlets this year and next.

I fear that it’s actually an indication that the supposed economic recovery has really been a masterwork of smoke and mirrors.  Government policy nationally (and more so in Rhode Island) is not letting the economy really heal.