War Effort Has Direct Impact On Fayetteville Businesses

Twenty percent of Fayetteville's population is military, and that can have a direct impact on local businesses like ABC Mattress Discounters. For 40 years, owner Philip Cropp has had a steady stream of loyal customers, but lately, he has seen business drop off.

"It started to improve in August and actually the first part of September, and then the events of the 11th really threw everything in a tailspin," he said.

There are 42,000 soldiers on Fort Bragg. During the Gulf War, 30,000 of them were deployed. Fayetteville retailers lost $100 million in sales.