Kathryn Pope, a freelance television producer and researcher, said she makes a point of supporting neighborhood merchants.

With the high densities, civic leaders can concentrate housing in certain areas of downtown to create a natural customer base for neighborhood merchants.

"I can think of at least six of our friendly neighborhood merchants -who could supply what's needed immediately."

The parade is estimated to bring neighborhood merchants more than $40 million.

Another objection comes from small neighborhood merchants, who say they suffer from the big competitors.

Some community groups have established "safe corridors" to schools, with help from parents and neighborhood merchants.

Police and city officials say they do not see the parking situation in the dire terms used by neighborhood merchants.

First were neighborhood merchants from Germany, then rope makers, brewers and slaughterhouses.

As a neighborhood merchant, they get a good bang for their buck with us.

We had been in residence at the Bazaar for some time now, and the neighborhood merchants were pretty much used to us.