Merchants in Goshen are banding together. At least 15 stores will be open on Sundays through the holidays. With Black Friday around the corner, they hope shoppers will make downtown a destination.

Santa is already finding out what's on the list of youngsters in downtown Goshen. He's also heard from merchants who say they wouldn't mind an increase in foot traffic for the holiday shopping season.

A good number of stores are opening on Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m., to make that happen through Christmas.

"We have a lot of requests for Sunday," says Julie Freshour of Jules Boutique. "A lot of people are working, a lot of working mothers and they can't get here from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. They really depend on their weekends to do their shopping."

"Our theme is shop outside the box, get outside the box stores," says Bill Mattern of Mattern's Butcher Shop and Deli. "They spent a lot of time downtown revitalizing it."

The feeling of many in the business community is the more choices and variety provided, the more incentive it has to bring more people downtown.

"The more stores that are going to be open, the more restaurants, and things like that, I think it will be a good thing for people to just come and enjoy," says Karen Pletcher of Balloon Express.

Elizabeth Dragoo of Ten Thousand Villages says, "Our strength is in customer service and having high quality product and having people who know what we have here. The more stores that are open in downtown Goshen, the more reason there is for people to come down and enjoy."

The Olympia Candy Kitchen has always been a favorite downtown. It's been in the same family for four generations.

"So many people come in to town for the holidays and the Olympia is part of their history, things they remember: the candy canes, the lunch counter," says Rhonda Ernsperger of Olympia Candy Kitchen.

Some merchants may go to Sunday hours permanently, if this 'open Sundays' project is successful.