Article: Merchants stump for more retail

Some retail merchants are calling on the city to restrict non-sales tax producing businesses from occupying street level space downtown, saying influx of banks, cell phone stores and other uses are hurting downtown's retail climate.

Rita and Lloyd Allison, longtime owners of a la Card, a card and novelty shop at 816 and 1/2 Church Street, said their support for retail only was prompted by a sharp increase in the number of banks, real estate brokers, and other non-retail businesses occupying precious street level space.

"This has had an obvious negative impact on sales tax revenue, and it also has adversely affected our business," they wrote in their letter to the mayor, which was signed by ...

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