Post-Gazette: Throngs of visiting shoppers put Downtown on the retail map

Santa hasn't gotten here yet, but Christmas has already been good to Nicholas Coffee Co. in Market Square, Downtown.

On Thursday, the shop marked the biggest sales day in its 92-year history, a record that store owner Nick Nicholas attributed to a rush of Christmas shoppers who have come to view Downtown, and especially Market Square, as a destination to shop and eat.

As last-minute shoppers hurried through the streets Friday, restaurant owners and store managers told a similar story of Christmas come early for Downtown businesses this holiday season. It's a departure from years past, when Downtown became mostly deserted in the evenings and on the weekends.