Holiday shopping a mixed bag, just like the weather

Patty Purdin, owner of No Common Scents, said weather was a factor in making this year’s holiday shopping season not as good as last year’s.

By Virgil Hervey

Most local merchants will tell you that business in Yellow Springs depends on the weather. This year, for the first time in three years, the weather was bad for most of the holiday shopping weekends and shop owners felt the effects in varying degrees. However, in a recent survey, most shop owners agreed that business picked up a few days before Christmas and remained strong afterward.

According to Chamber of Commerce Coordinator Karen Wintrow, it rained or snowed on Thanksgiving weekend and for all of the holiday promotional events the Chamber had highlighted in a flyer prepared for visitors, except the Third Friday Fling in the Springs on Dec. 21, which she said was a big success. Businesses agreed to stay open later on that night and free carriage rides sponsored by Eric Clark of the Springs Motel, which had been postponed from the Holiday in the Village weekend on Dec. 1 and 2 due to bad weather, were a big draw, Wintrow said.

“Attractions like the Friday Fling are usually successful in drawing shoppers to the village, but require a lot of work,” she said.

Due to the success of the Friday Fling the Chamber is now proposing that the events be continued throughout the year with each month organized around a different theme that highlights a particular segment of the community. The Chamber is also planning a year-long marketing plan, highlighting Yellow Springs as a destination.

Terre Pope of Global Gallery had heard economic forecasts that predicted a slow early holiday season, he said. His store’s business fit the predictions, but sales picked up shortly beore Christmas.

Cyndee Perkins of the Import House said the season started off a little slow, but got better.

“It was good, but not as good as last year,” she said. “The chamber’s advertising campaign helped.”

Dark Star Books owner Mary Alice Wilson, who keeps detailed day-to-day records including notes on the weather, said December was slow compared to last year, but attributes the slowdown mostly to “an atmosphere of gloom and doom surrounding the Save Antioch campaign.”

“Once business started to pick up four or five days before Christmas, it was good, and it continued to be good after Christmas,” she said.

According to Wilson, the Chamber’s marketing campaign in out-of-town papers and on WYSO was a big help, as was the Friday Fling.

“You have to provide something else for visitors to come to town for,” she said. “Street Fair is always our best day.”

According to Mark Crockett, owner of Rita Caz Jewelry Studio, dollar-wise he was “a tiny bit ahead of last year.”

“With gold costing so much, it is hard to calculate for inflation,” he said. “But last minute sales and after Christmas have been good.”

While Crockett’s business stays open late on Fridays for most of the year, he thought the Friday Fling was a good idea, and he would like to see all downtown shops stay open late more, as that would increase everyone’s walk-in trade.

Over at Epic Books, Gail Lichtenfels said business was relatively good considering the weather. The weather always affects business in Yellow Springs, she said, and on wet weekends there is no business.

Living Green, a store that specializes in environmentally friendly products, just opened its doors in November and business has been good ever since. Partner C. J. Williams feels the store benefited from a tremendous amount of good will from villagers who she said have been “welcoming and supportive.”

According to Williams, being close to the Little Art Theatre, where crowds gathered to board the carriage rides, helped during the Friday Fling. She hopes the Chamber will sponsor the event again.

Julie Quinnones, owner of Glen Garden Gifts, said business might have been a little better, but she was happy with it overall.

“Weather was a factor,” she said, “but I sold everything I expected.”

Priscilla Moore, owner of Mr. Fub’s Party, said the store did not do as well as she hoped for this holiday season. Foot traffic was off, she felt, due to three weekends of bad weather and a depressed economy. However, her business also picked up toward the end of the season.

“When it got down to the wire, people came in,” she said.

Her business also suffered from safety issues throughout the year regarding toys imported from China.

“The media has been dogging the toy industry with misinformation,” she said. “All our stuff is okay. The problem has been with a tiny amount of toys from China. Most comply with safety standards.”

Moore recently set up an Internet site, but it was not up long enough to impact her business this year.

“This was still one of our best years,” she said, “just not as good as last year.”

Nancy Mellon of Village Artisans Gallery, a co-op of local artists, said the last couple days before Christmas were good and the Friday Fling was especially vibrant, when a troupe of drummers set up outside the Shops at 100 Corry Street, and attracted throngs of visitors their way.

Patty Purdin, owner of No Common Scents, said business at her shop may have been off by as much as 30 percent from last year. This is her second season since she moved her shop from Kings Yard to the south end of town in the old Eye 1 building, and she is still trying to get a feel for the impact that has had on her business overall.

At Sam and Eddie’s Open Books, sales were about the same as last year or down a little, according to owner Eddie Eckenrode. Business got off to a good start right after Thanksgiving, then went flat until 4–5 days before Christmas and has remained good after Christmas, he said.

“A lot of people are in town visiting and are buying stuff for themselves,” he said.

Contact: vhervey@ysnews.com