1.   Area merchants are bullish on theater these days.

2.   Area merchants, like those nationally, rely on holiday shopping for about half of their annual sales.

3.   Buckhead area merchants expected so many visitors, in fact, that some streets were blocked off to make way for vendors and pedestrians.

4.   New York City area merchants lose consumers to New Jersey while people from Albany shop in Massachusetts.

5.   Some area merchants also cashed in on the cold weather.

6.   This auction includes gift certificates for goods and services, as well as other items donated by area merchants and museum well-wishers.

7.   To be sure, layoffs are traumatic for the affected workers, and some area merchants are worried about a short-term decline in sales.

8.   As area merchants feel the crunch, some have posted notes at cash registers asking customers for exact change.