Some main street businesses discover a surprising customer: Amazon

Amazon has earned a reputation for slaying brick-and-mortar retailers

Renee Plante admits she got a little nervous last year when Amazon.com Inc opened a massive warehouse just a few miles away from the sporting goods shop she manages in the Minneapolis suburb of Shakopee.

She expected even long-time customers of Valley Sports might want to try Amazon, given the buzz about the new facility. She worried she might lose some sales.But then Amazon became a customer, and a good one: The world’s largest online retailer began ordering customised t-shirts, hats and water bottles from Valley Sports for the 1,000 employees at the new warehouse. Amazon is now its biggest