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Area merchants report strong holiday sales
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With less than a week to go in the 2007 holiday shopping season, merchants in Union and Wallowa Counties are upbeat, with most seeing their sales match — and in some cases, exceed — those of last year. It can't hurt that the State of Oregon refunded $1.1 billion to taxpayers this month. The kicker checks fatten the average person's wallet by about $600, and that's a fine holiday windfall in anybody's book. For whatever reason, shoppers hereabouts look to be in a spending mood. An informal survey of store owners this week failed to uncover a hint of gloom. The kicker's just the icing on the cake. "I'm having a phenomenal season," said Judy Jensen of The Potter's House, a gift store and gallery on Sixth Street in La Grande. "My traffic is up and I'm thankful for it. You're hearing a lot about stress of economy, but I'm not seeing it in the people coming in. Maybe that's because we carry things in all price ranges." The Potter's House deals in a wide range of gift items, including art items and the world-famous pottery made by Jensen's husband, Bob. "You can buy something for $5, right on up to the hundreds," Judy said. She said that so far, she hasn't seen an extra surge in holiday spending attributable to the kicker check. "I've not given the kicker a lot of thought, but last week, anyway, I didn't see any sudden upswing," she said.
Dave Campbell of the Hobby Habit in La Grande stops short of "phenomenal" when he describes the pace of business this holiday season. On the other hand, he's by no means complaining. "The last time I counted was 10 days ago, and at that time I was ahead of last year. It's been busy. It's been a really good season," Campbell said. The Hobby Habit, on Fir Street, deals in what Campbell calls "old-time toys," rather than sophisticated electronics. The shelves sport model trains, radio-controlled cars and planes, rockets, models, fantasy games and more. Campbell said this Christmas season is the same as most others: Lego products and board games are the hot sellers. While business has been generally brisk, it's hard for Campbell to tell if the kicker is having a big impact on his bottom line. "I can't come right out and say ‘Yes, it is,' but I think it has helped at least indirectly," he said. "I haven't had anybody come in and cash a kicker check."
Leave it to Beezer's, a variety store in the heart of downtown La Grande, has had some ups and downs this season, according to owner Brenda McCrary. At the moment, she's riding skyward. "The best way I can describe it is a roller coaster," she said. "We're going uphill now because it's getting close to Christmas. Then in January, we'll go way down." Beezer's product line includes clothing, shoes, jewelry, backpacks and many other gift items. The variety store is co-located with The Sweet Stop, a candy store run by McCrary's partner, Mark Bagley. Bagley makes his own confections, and they're selling well this holiday season. McCrary said it's been hard to keep fudge and caramel corn in stock. Like other merchants, McCrary said she can't tell for sure if the kicker is providing a big holiday boost. But she has an idea it may be. "People are talking about it, and I think there have been a few times when customers were shopping without anxiety," she said. The J.C. Penney department and catalog store on Adams Avenue downtown is reporting respectable holiday sales as well. Manager Jim Lippold said he believes he's seeing an improvement over last year. "It's looking up for us. I've been very happy with the results. It's been good across the board," Lippold said. "Customers are in a good mood, and I wish them all a happy holiday." Lippold agreed with other merchants that it's too early to gauge the impact of the kicker. "I can't pinpoint anything, but I'm sure it's having some kind of effect," he said. In Wallowa County, owners of small shops are reporting respectable if not spectacular sales. Travis Cameron of Ace Hardware in Enterprise said he's seen a surge this month, and believes it might be due to the kicker. "November was flat, but the sales definitely picked up after the checks came out," he said. "I think our sales have been average for the growth we've seen the last four years, but we're ahead of last year." In addition to everyday hardware, Ace carries a variety of household and gift items. Cameron said holiday shoppers want electronic toys more than anything else. "We had a digital picture frame that just flew off the shelf. We're completely out of them," he said. Mary Burns, owner of Mad Mary and Company on Main Street in Joseph, said she's had good luck selling her line of "fun and fattening" items this holiday season. Business at the combination gift store, soda fountain and cafe is up over last year. Burns keeps a rein on her optimism, however. "Compared to last year, I'm up on sales, but expenses are up too. It's a give and take thing," she said. As for the kicker, Burns said she's seen no sudden jump in December sales. But she thinks the extra money may be helping. "Maybe it's the reason sales have been steady. I haven't seen a big jump, but maybe sales would have gone down if the kicker hadn't come out," she said. Sondra Lozier, who has a consignment booth at Antiques and Newer on Main Street in Enterprise, said her business has picked up with the arrival of the holiday season. "I'm really pleased. This week I've done really well," she said. Annually, Lozier helps organize a event in which Union County holiday shoppers travel by bus to Wallowa County to browse specialty shops, art galleries and more. She said she believes that people do make an effort to shop locally, and that Union and Wallowa counties have something to offer each other. "Everybody's so mobile these days, and so you're always going to have people going elsewhere for the things they want. People from Union County come here to shop our specialty stores, and people from here go to Union County to shop places like Wal-Mart and Bi-Mart," she said. |
