Holidays happier for Skagit retailers

by Thomas Pratt

 

 

Despite shaky national and state retail figures, Skagit County retailers report generally positive sales during the holiday shopping season.

Nationally, retail sales increased by the smallest annual percentage since 1971. Analysts reported sales increases nationally of between one and one-and-a-half percent over the 2001 holidays. The national media reported 2002 was the worst for holiday shopping in thirty years.

Commentators at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi told the Associated Press feeble sales were widespread across U.S. sectors and showed even in traditionally solid retail performers. They characterized the 2002 shopping season as “weak” and were particularly troubled by flat same-store sales figures.

Recently released figures for major retailers all show weak increases or steady sales for 2002. Target, Wal-Mart and Kohls all disappointed Wall Street, with overall sales increases of 7.6 percent, 9.5 percent, and 19.4 percent respectively. Sears sales declined by 2.6 percent and sales by the Federated department store chain fell by 0.6 percent. Only JC Penney exceded Wall Street’s expectations, with a 0.6 percent sales increase.

Skagit retailers report faring quite well over the holidays.

Gretchen Pickett, owner of Gretchen’s, a high-end housewares retailer in Mount Vernon, reported solid sales during the holidays.

“Our sales were up 8.5 percent,” Pickett said. Her successful holiday will push sales up 14 percent over the whole year.

While most retailers don’t have solid figures for the Holiday season at press time, anecdotal reports are good so far.

At Scott’s Bookstore, Megan Scott O’Bryan reported stable sales over last year.

“It was good, not huge,” she said. “With the holiday, we’ll be right in line for the year.”

Across downtown Mount Vernon, things looked good.

“As a downtown, we did well,” said Bonnie Anderson, executive director of the Downtown Business Community.

“We had a big enough Christmas to make the year even.”

Anacortes retailers also held their own during the holidays.

“I’m hearing that after a slow start, sales gathered momentum over the last two weekends,” said Michael Broome, executive director of the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce. Sales were not as bad as merchants might have feared heading into the holidays.

He said a pre-holiday ad campaign, designed to highlight a variety of activities to draw people to Anacortes, worked to make people see there was a lot going on there.

“It’s an approach we’ll look to build on for next year,” Broome said.

Even some larger retailers had a solid year in Skagit County.

According to Ray Andrew, manager of Prime Outlets Burlington, their complex-wide sales were higher than the national average.

Despite challenges posed by road construction and a shorter than usual span between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, the outlet’s sales were solid.

“Our Canadian traffic is up,” Andrews said. “But most of our traffic is drawn from the northern parts of Seattle.”

He thinks good weather helped encourage people to travel north to shop at the outlet. And while people from outside the county traveled to shop, Andrews said many Skagitonians decided to shop closer to home this year.

Pickett thinks her store is riding a wave of increased interest in entertaining at home and in cooking. But, she also thinks her solid holiday sales performance reflects natural advantages that small downtown stores like hers have over bigger retailers.

“Most of the down figures are from box stores,” she said, referring to the large retail stores clustered around the Interstate. Gretchen’s can offer more personal service, which draws customers.