Square Merchants Give Mixed Reviews

The unexpected combination of Oktoberfest and Columbus day made yesterday a boon for many Harvard Square merchants, although some said drunken revellers did not make the best customers.

Sunday's rain forced organizers to delay the festival a day, and some area business managers say they profited from crowds in doubled holiday spirits.

At the Pennsylvania Company clothing store sales were approximately double those of an average weekday, according to manager Bruce Benjamin.

Au Bon Pain, The Wursthaus, and other local cafes and bakeries had much stronger sales days than usual managers said. A Store 24 cashier also reported unusually high sales.

However, managers of some sit-down restaurants, including Ruggles Pizza, Souper Salad, and the Mug'n'Muffin, said business was about average.

Not All Happy

But not all Square shopkeepers were happy with yesterday's double holiday in the Square. "Usually on Columbus Day people don't have that many places to go, now they have a lot of places to go to out on the street," said Richard Crawley, a clerk at the Paperback Booksmith.

Some stores reported more browsers than usual but no increase in sales. "There are a lot of interested people, they're not all buying," said Olympia Fantasia, co-owner of Details, a clothing boutique.

"People are too drunk to stay in the store long enough to buy anything," said John Pinkney, manager of Boston Compact Discs.

Some merchants say they wouldn't have minded if Oktoberfest had been scrapped altogether. An attendant at Journeyman's, a John F. Kennedy St. craft store, said that a passerby had thrown a soda can at the store.

Al Brown, manager of Kupersmith's florist shop, said that he would not have opened up the store if he had known about the festival.

"You can't make deliveries because you can't get your truck in and out," he said. "People just aren't going to walk around with flowers."