Cash-strapped US consumers plan to spend about 15 percent less on Christmas gifts in 2009 than they did last year, a credit industry research group reported Wednesday.
Joe Dougherty knows what it means to own a seasonal business
.He and his wife, Cheryl, opened their first Christmas Traditions store 11 years ago in Syracuse. Since then, their business has expanded so that for the upcoming holidays, they have eight more seasonal stores in upstate malls, including Eastview Mall and The Mall at Greece Ridge, as well as in surrounding states.
They are part of a growing number of entrepreneurs looking for suitable space to sell products that are in high demand during the holiday season.
