At its height about 50 firefighters were involved in tackling the blaze
Edinburgh's Princes Street is set to fully reopen on Saturday, seven weeks after it was shut by a major fire in a former department store.
Businesses in the east of the city say they have taken a hit during the usually-lucrative festival season, as disruption to public transport has hit footfall.
Bus routes have been diverted and tram services have only been operating in the west of the city while work to make the building safe took place.
Edinburgh council leader Jane Meagher said she was delighted the thoroughfare was reopening but acknowledged it had been a difficult chapter for the city.
The Scottish government previously committed £5m to the recovery effort, allowing some businesses to offset lost revenue.
The fire happened on 9 July, with Princes Street's reopening coming two days before the last day of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on Monday.
Alistair Brown said his business had been affected by the partial closure of Princes Street
Alistair Brown – founder of Bellfield Brewery, which runs Nobles on Constitution Street – said regular tram services meant the prospect of new customers every seven minutes.
Despite being optimistic about the return of the trams, Brown said it was too early to assess the full financial damage to his business.
He told BBC Scotland News: "I am relieved but still apprehensive. We have lost a lot of business through no fault of our own and it will take time to see how we recover from this.
"This is our busiest time of year that gets us through the quieter months from January to March but because of the disruption we have been quieter than March.
"So we will have to wait until next year to see the full impact.
"I never thought I'd be so excited to hear the ding of a tram. It just shows you don't fully appreciate things till they are gone."
Adam Barclay, manager of Argonaut Books, said businesses should be able to expect better from elected representatives after a month of "radio silence" from City of Edinburgh Council.
