A former decor and garden shop has been transformed into a chic and welcoming sales office for Morgan Lane Realtor Cyndi Gates.

NEW YORK — This holiday season, a big challenge at Wal-Mart is convincing shoppers like Portia Goodman and Karen Wade to buy fashion instead of just basics.

WESTMINSTER — It was not so long ago that people who advocated trade with Vietnam faced reprisals and denunciation by staunch anti-communists in this enclave that’s home to the nation’s largest Vietnamese immigrant community.