Article: Providence, R.I., Small Businesses Take News of Fleet Bank Merger in Stride.

Byline: Paul Grimaldi

Oct. 28--PROVIDENCE, R.I.--The small businesses that operate in the shadow of Fleet's Rhode Island headquarters aren't scared about the company's sale to Bank of America Corp., but it's no walk through the funhouse either.

"It's like a rollercoaster," said Stamatis Karapatakis, as he cut vegetables behind the counter of LeGreque, a sandwich shop in the Arcade. "I have a lot of customers who come from there."

Each time a company leaves Downcity, business drops a little, but when the convention center and hotels do well, business picks up, he said.

"When Amica left it dropped, when Channel 10 left it dropped... ...

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