Downtown stores are putting on sales, giving out treats and
staying open late in an effort to keep shoppers from going big-box
or driving to Gilroy this holiday season. And while some local
businesses say their holiday sales are slower than they’d hoped
for, many say business is up.
Hollister – Downtown stores are putting on sales, giving out treats and staying open late in an effort to keep shoppers from going big-box or driving to Gilroy this holiday season. And while some local businesses say their holiday sales are slower than they’d hoped for, many say business is up.
“We’re just being wonderfully slammed,” said Dorothy McNett, owner of kitchen shop Dorothy McNett’s Place. “I would say business is up at least 25 percent over October and November, and our wine sales especially are just dynamite. We’re just seeing good sales and lots of happy people.”
Martha Blaser, who owns the Just Friends gift store at San Benito and 6th streets with her daughter Jackie, said business has also been good at her store. She thanks the “headaches” of shopping out of town for some of her business’ success.
“We really appreciate that people are staying in town and coming into our store,” she said.
Blaser said business was particularly good before and after last Saturday’s Lights On celebration. The store saw quite a few people come in that night to enjoy the hot apple cider, oatmeal cookies, and 25 percent off everything sale, she said.
But some businesses haven’t been hit with the holiday rush just yet. Steve Rosati of Pennywise Drug said business has been slow so far, but this is normal for the beginning of the season.
“Usually it gets busy towards the end of Christmas. We get a lot of last-minute shoppers, but we don’t get a lot of people in right now,” Rosati said.
Boutique de Lingerie owner Jeannine DiVincenzo said while sales this holiday season haven’t been as good as she had hoped, she is still optimistic that things will pick up.
“We have beautiful stores in this town, and if you lined them all up in a mall setting I’m sure people would go to them. But we don’t have that here. Here you just have to walk a little to support local businesses,” she said.
DiVincenzo said she hoped the constant (but unadvertised) sales she has at her store will bring in business. She also hopes staying open until 8:00pm on Thursdays will help bolster sales. All of the downtown businesses will be open late on Thursdays through the end of the season for those late shoppers, according to Blaser.
“Miss Louise” of Kelly’s Gift Place said business has been going up since the store moved into its new building, which has a virtual winter wonderland set up inside.
“Our business has been great ever since we took the paper off the windows! I think people really like to come by and see all of our window decorations,” Miss Louise said.
Kelly’s neighbor She’s women’s clothing store also has its windows decked out for the holidays, showcasing winter coats above a blanket of fake snow. Inside, owner Sheila Stevens said her normally busy store has been seeing even more business than usual this year.
“We’ve always done very well throughout the year, and every year we do better than the last,” said Stevens. “The Lights On Celebration is great because it brings the local people out, but they also bring their friends and family, so we get new people.”
She’s also offers free hot cider and tiny cakes iced to look like Christmas presents.
“Now you see why we’re doing so well!” Stevens said, pointing to the cakes and laughing.
But even with everyone out shopping, Main Street Bistro owner Megan Guerra said lunches at her cafe haven’t been as busy as they are during the rest of the year. Breakfast has been a busier time than usual though, perhaps due to the warm winter weather she said, and the bistro’s catering is up more than enough to balance out the declining lunch profits.
“We do pretty minimal catering throughout the year, but it really picks up around the holidays with holiday parties, people calling to order little platters, that kind of thing. And companies will bring in their whole staff for holiday dinners. We’re booked solid,” Guerra said.
Rick Maddux, owner of Maddux Jewelers, said the first few days of the holiday season have shown good sales for him as well. And sales should only pick up as it gets closer to Christmas, he said, though he doesn’t know by how much.
“It’s really too soon to tell how the season will go. We had a good November, but we’re only three days into December, and Hollister’s always been very funny about when Christmas shopping is done. But we’ll get busier at the end of the season, when all the men come in doing last-minute shopping for jewelry,” Maddux said.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at
jq*****@fr***********.com
.
