![]() ![]() NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. PAUL MCCARTNEY: (Singing) The mood is right. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "WONDERFUL CHRISTMASTIME") For NPR News, I'm Camille Petersen in New York. PETERSEN: For New York City businesses, the stakes are high, so they're holding tight to this glittering, joyful moment and fearful of what winter might look like. ![]() SUSSMAN: Everyone is really worried about there being, like, a winter surge and what that's going to mean for us. Now he's excited, but he wonders how long the crowds are going to stick around. At the time, customers hadn't returned, so it was a risky bet. He opened his Mediterranean restaurant, Samesa, in the spring. PETERSEN: For Sussman, this is a rare moment of opportunity. I'm seeing, you know, happy people come through the doors. PETERSEN: At Rockefeller Center, home of the iconic, towering Christmas tree, restaurant owner Eli Sussman is delighted to see not a trickle of potential customers, but crowds.ĮLI SUSSMAN: They're coming to shop, see the tree, see the skating rink. Everyone's out and about, and it's, you know - no pun intended - the more, the merrier. GAINES: It's the closest to normal that we've felt in a long time. She's seen more and more of them over the past month. The store relies on in-person shoppers, especially tourists. PETERSEN: Gaines says last year's holiday season was nearly nonexistent. GAINES: It's like the five minutes we can pay bills. PETERSEN: Gaines says November and December normally make up 30 to 40% of yearly revenue. It's all different names like Joe (ph), Lucky (ph), Jake (ph), Moe (ph), John (ph). JULIE GAINES: This is find your plate at the table. Inside the sprawling store, there are stacks of mugs from diners all over the country, a section of mismatched cups, plates with cowboys and hotel logos and names. She's owned Fishs Eddy, a home goods store, for 35 years. PETERSEN: A few blocks away, Julie Gaines surveys her eccentric holiday collection. Which one? Top - the top right, or the top left? UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: The blueberry maple habanero sauce. PETERSEN: They're winding through the outdoor maze of pop-up stores and visiting stands selling truffle oil, gems, spices, handmade jewelry and specialty hot sauces. Camille Petersen reports.ĬAMILLE PETERSEN, BYLINE: Last year, the Union Square Holiday Market was closed. With the unpredictability of the virus, New York businesses are feeling pressure to make money from every last sale this holiday season. New York City is glittering again - from the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center to lavish displays in department store windows. ![]()
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