Business is good - or will be - ah, who knows?

This is what I'm on about - this story, here, in the Daily News.

It seems to be pretty upbeat, but let's face it - the majority of people Katie Curley talked to lease from Newburyport Development. You're not allowed to say anything negative about business if you lease from ND.

At Soak, on the corner of State and Middle Streets, assistant manager Alexa Yagel said the bath accessory shop has had a good amount of business so far this season, but they're waiting for July and Yankee Homecoming for things to peak.

"It's not as busy as this time last year, but it will pick up soon," Yagel said.

At Lively Kids clothing store next door (me: owned by same people as own Soak, by the way), an employee said they have been having the same amount of business as this time last year, while Valerie's Gallery across the street said their business has been better.

Actually - Valerie's Gallery just recently moved, but I'm not sure she moved between ND-owned properties or moved out of a ND-owned property to one not owned by ND.

Lively Kids this time last year was located on Inn Street. So does the fact that they are having the same amount of business as this time last year mean things are just as bad/good on the main street as on the side street? And what about Lively Teens, or whatever it was called, that apparently went under earlier this year?

While larger local restaurants seem to be doing well, such as the newly opened Oregano Pizzaria, Bottega Toscano's owner Matt Breeden said the price of food is hurting him.

"It costs me more to buy food, etc.," Breeden said. "It's been a slow start."

The tables inside the small Italian restaurant were mostly empty at lunchtime yesterday afternoon.

I don't get this at all - is Oregano that much larger than Bottega Toscano's? Is it fair to compare the business at these two places without pointing out that the arrival of one has probably hurt the other?

This seems to be a 'puff' piece more than an actual report of anything!