Nyc mega chain-stores when did it start?

New York City is still the same great city it's always been however as the years progress it seems as if the "weirdos" and over all edge and funkiness of the city have been decreasing. Now I'm not saying having "wierdos" around all the time is a good thing, but it does a huge portion of NYC it's fame. However it's not only the eccentric people the give New York(or Manhatten for that matter) it's overall vibe but the specialness of each individual neighborhood. Don't get me wrong It's great having high-end stores and some chain-stores, but this used to only be in certain centralized areas such as Uptown Manhatten. I've been to Soho and the Meatpacking District this week and I've been seeing American Apparel's and Urban Outfitters everywhere and I fear it'll close in on the lower east-side and other areas sooner or later. I've been five times almost the whole middle portion of the 2000s I haven't been. So just wondering when did all the commercialization start in the Big Apple?