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Manny’s co-owner Bill Nester remembers when hundreds of people would flow in and out of his Marshall Street store on Syracuse game days. Then the pandemic hit, and hundreds turned into “maybe a dozen or so,” Nester said. Until last Saturday, when 900 students were allowed into the Carrier Dome for a men’s lacrosse game and only 250 showed, the fan experience on the Hill was dormant for 370 days.
Shirt World owner Dave Jacobs had similar experiences. So did Scholars and Champs owner Bert Aufsesser, whose store is located downtown. The pandemic has pushed apparel store owners to their creative limits to sustain a viable income. Students have kept them afloat, too.