A Sparks shopping area is dwindling away, after yet another business announced it will close its doors.

It's just one of many stores and restaurants that have shut down along Pyramid Highway in the past year. Now the mayor is asking locals to step up, and become a part of the solution.

An area that was once an old ranch, boasting wildflowers and wildlife, is now a hub of Sparks retail, The Galleria and Sparks Crossing. Mayor Geno Martini says as stores and businesses close one-by-one, it's sad, but it's not surprising given the state of our economy.

"We'd like to keep people out in that valley, making short trips to and from the store. That's what we tried to create. It worked for awhile, until the economy tanked. Now it is what is it is," said Martini.

Over the past year, the shopping area has emptied out little by little, leaving entire sections of the centers unoccupied. Even the former landowners say it's disappointing.

"Circuit City, that was a big one. Shoe Pavilion, that's gone. Sports Authority, lots of them gone," said Sparks resident, Cookie Capurro, who once worked the land with her husband, Steve.

"This is the old ranch, the old meadows. It's sad what's going on now," added Steve Capurro.

The latest victim is Chili's, a nearly brand-new restaurant that only opened in 2006. The owners announced it will close down on February 10th.

Chili's owners tell us they're closing this location because they don't expect it to make much money in the future. So what about the rest of the businesses and restaurants that are left in the shopping center?

CJ Palace restaurant employees say it's upsetting to be left in the corner of a nearly empty lot. They say when Chili's closes, it lowers their chances of being discovered by hungry shoppers in the area.

"If people get tired of Chili's food, they might have come to CJ's Palace to try Chinese food because we have really good food here," said waitress, Yan Pang.

But Mayor Martini says there is a way locals can help keep the rest of these companies in business. He says money spent in local stores, and local shopping centers, equates to tax revenue.

"The money they spend in local stores goes back to the community. When they shop online, we don't get the benefit of those tax dollars," said Mayor Martini, who added that there are still plenty of great restaurants at the centers that locals can still take advantage of.

A representative for the Chili's restaurant say they plan to place the employees who worked there at other local nearby Chili's restaurants. We placed calls to both Sparks Galleria and Sparks Crossing, to find out if any future vendors have plans to move in. Neither corporation immediately returned our calls.