Downtown retailers generally happy with Christmas season

Whether you started weeks early or still have a few left on your list, the holiday shopping season is quickly coming to a close. Though shopping locally is important to keep businesses here, internet shopping, economic uncertainty and the weather can impact people’s spending behaviors.

Tom Butler of Flying Eagle Gallery said the recent Shop Small Saturday was the best that he’s seen and he’s proud how many local folks came out. He further added he saw many people in the gallery that he’s never seen before, which shows people were interested and it was nice to see the support for local businesses.

We’re still in the midst of some rough economic times, Butler said, which certainly has an impact. Though the gallery hosts a UPS shipping site, he said it seems like people are shipping less, and when they do ship it’s in smaller packages, which could be an impact of the general economic state.

Sarah Ferrell of Nature’s Corner said the store did okay on Black Friday, and better on Shop Small Saturday. She has a theory — if the weather is bad the store will do well, as in good weather people are more apt to travel for their shopping. Another theory of hers is there will be more customers in the week leading up to Christmas, as people have gone online for their major purchases and will shop local for those last-minute items. She encourages everyone to come downtown and check out the local businesses.

Dan Herdt of Owl Creek Graphics, looking at the numbers, said his business year-to-date is pretty close to last year, and for the holiday season he is actually up compared to the same time in 2015.

Herdt noted he had a better Black Friday than usual, but didn’t think many of the retail chains had their “doorbuster” deals like they usually do. Shop Small Saturday was also good for the store, he said, but it usually is.

Herdt said the number of people shopping locally has a lot to do with how people feel about the economy. Even if their jobs are not directly affected, he said, the bad news they hear can creep into their mind and make them more conservative in their spending. The local economy around here, Herdt said, has not improved so much, but oil is up so the general mood is up. He’s still not seeing the bigger purchases of three years ago, when oil was $100 per barrel and oil companies would buy Carharts for their employees.

Debbie Mount of Needful Things said the holiday season has been disappointing, as numbers are down, and during Black Friday and Shop Small Saturday she did not see the business like she did last year.

Mount said a lot of it has to do with the economy, but also the weather hasn’t been congenial for shopping and people are also using the quick and easy alternative of online shopping.

When people shop local, Mount said, the money spent at the stores goes back into the community. People also get that personal service. “I know my customers, and they know me.” She hopes everyone has a Merry Christmas.

Ellen Reed of the Storyteller said Black Friday and Shop Small Saturday were very good at her business, with sales up 30 percent over last year. As for the general shopping this season, Reed said it hasn’t been too bad. It had a slow start but has picked up the past couple weeks, which she attributes to people realizing Christmas is nearly here. The nice weather, she said, might have altered people’s thinking.

Stephanie Conrad of S Squared Designs said Black Friday and Shop Small Saturday were both super busy, but overall the business has been doing extremely well this season. She noted people have been bringing in family members who are visiting, and she’s seen a lot of custom orders along with customers. She is humbled by the support the community has shown the business.

There’s still a few more days before the holiday, and plenty of time to check out downtown Thermopolis for gift ideas.