Written off in the aftermath of the Great Recession, the U.S. consumer is back. Not quite with a vengeance, but definitely back. Clerk Billy DeLeary displays candies at the Chocolate Truffle in Reading, Mass., on Aug. 11, 2014. (Kevin G. Hall/McClatchy) Marie Galvin, owner of GALVIN-ized, places a hat on the head of a customer in Boston on Aug.