By Michael Bassett
Some Sparks Street Mall merchants are reporting higher Christmas sales for 1998, but opinions are mixed as to whether the malls experiment with new Christmas decorations was behind the boost in business.
All eight Sparks Street Mall businesses surveyed reported sales were up this December and Peter Harris, Sparks Street Mall manager, said although management does not collect sales data from the merchants, he has been told that sales are up along the mall this year.