Sweet is a hunk of gooey gau or a bite of Hong Kong-style wedding cake.

Sweeter still is a slice of candied coconut or a slab of dried, sugar-coated melon.

But sweetest of all for Chinatown merchants — like Wesley Fang, whose Sing Cheong Yuan Bakery has been selling trays upon trays of such delicacies this week — is the annual sales boost that comes with Chinese New Year.

The bakery enjoys steady business throughout the year, but it's the New Year's season, when shoppers pack the small Maunakea Street shop to stock up on moon cakes, jin doi, gau, and other essential Chinese New Year goodies, that proves the best gauge of the coming year's prosperity.

"This is a very, very important time for us," said Fang, who has been working from 5 a.m. to midnight recently to keep up with the demand. "This is when we have the most sales."

This weekend's opening celebrations could not come soon enough for Chinatown mainstays that have seen their sales drop and their rents increase this year.

Thien Trung Do and wife Kim Hue Ly work 10 hours a day — 365 days a year — to keep their Kim Trading store afloat.

The couple, originally from Vietnam, sell a wide variety of jewelry, beads, porcelain statuettes, and wood and stone carvings. But with the economy slumping badly, Do said, he's greeted far more browsers than shoppers over the past year — even as the rent has gone up by $300 per month.

"It's hard because if they don't have a job, they don't buy," Do said. "It's hard to sell now."

But people were definitely in a buying mood yesterday. Up and down Maunakea and all around the Chinatown area, merchants reported brisk sales of everything from the little red envelopes adults traditionally use to give money to children to discounted brooms, necessary for the pre-holiday house cleaning that is believed to assure a fresh start and an inviting space for good fortune to arrive.

In anticipation of heavy crowds this weekend, experienced midday shoppers moved efficiently in and out of shops yesterday, collecting fresh narcissus bulbs (a symbol of purity), pomelos (signifying wealth), scrolls inscribed with good luck blessings, and food, lots of food. Whole chickens and ducks (head and feet included) sold well — whole foods signifying completeness and unity.

BIG ON BUYING

Lola Colombe, 47, of Kailua, roamed the Mauna Kea Market Place in search of something to wear to a New Year's dinner last night.

Joining her as a designated "shopping consultant" was pal Kimmy Everett, 40, of Kaimuki, a Chinatown regular.

"I had to pull her down here," Everett said of Colombe. "I love to eat and I like shopping down here."

Both plan to take in the weekend's festivities, which include lion dancing, a keiki festival, and arts and crafts.

Gifford Chang, an event organizer with the Chinatown Merchants Association, estimates that as many as 30,000 people will make their way to Chinatown this weekend, more than would typically visit the area in a month.

And to the degree that foot traffic translates to register traffic, merchants expect to celebrate their own version of Black Friday.

"Income this weekend will increase probably 15 to 20 percent, which is a big boost for any merchant," Chang said. "It's been a rough year, not just for Chinatown but for the entire island. These merchants would like to do better and to bring culture and tradition back to the people on O'ahu."

The association did an informal study three years ago to assess the impact of road closures, like the one that will shut down Chinatown traffic this weekend, on area merchants. It found that the economic boost far outweighs the inconvenience, Chang said.

Sabrina Pham, who manages Kimi's gift shop, hopes that is the case again this year.

The store, which sells fresh and silk flowers, clothing, jewelry, souvenirs and cultural items, suffered through a 40 percent drop in sales over the Christmas season, Pham said. And, like many Chinatown businesses, the shop also saw its rent increase despite the economic downturn.

"Rabbit was not a good year," said Pham, referring to 2008's animal designation in the Chinese lunar calendar. "Hopefully the ox year will be calmer."