December 12, 2006
For most of the merchants in Lawrence, the Christmas season yields a significant and essential portion of the annual take. For many, it's make or break. For the past decade, downtown businesses have watched big box stores and the internet lure many of their customers away. Soaring rents and rising operating costs have also contributed to the increasing number of vacant storefronts downtown. On a fine December day, Street Level ambles south on Mass and drops in on some bustling downtown businesses to see what condition their Christmases are in.