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Robert Chu, an owner of East Village Wines, saw his foreign-currency sales jump more than 10 percent in a year. Chu, who accepts euros, yen, British pounds and Canadian dollars, said most of those transactions are made by local residents who travel frequently.

NEW YORK -- "Euros Only" reads a handmade sign in Billy's Antiques & Props on East Houston Street in Manhattan. But that's really just an attention grabber. Actually, owner Billy Leroy explains, the store will accept Canadian dollars and British pounds, and U.S. dollars, too.

Leroy is one of a small but growing group of New York merchants in tourist-favored neighborhoods such as SoHo, the East Village and Times Square who have begun to accept the euro and other foreign currencies.

Leroy began accepting euros after a buying trip to a Paris flea market in November, when the exchange rate meant he couldn't afford to purchase his usual volume of dressers, mirrors and wax figurines. This is his way to raise euros back home.