Despite it all, biz fizzed
For some retailers, bum year ended brightly
Despite a blizzard over the last shopping weekend before Christmas, several merchants in Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, and Vineyard Haven reported a boost in holiday business that ended a dismal retail year on an upswing.
Bramhall and Dunn's window attracted shopper interest on Tisbury's Main Street Tuesday. Photos by Susan Safford
Island anecdotes appear in synch with a trend nationwide, according to an Associated Press news report on Monday. Based on figures from a holiday shopping summary from MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse, retail sales rose 3.6 percent from November 1 through December 24, compared to a 2.3-percent drop in the same period a year ago.
"It certainly was a whole lot better than last Christmas," said Cheryl Stark, who co-owns C.B. Stark Jewelers with her partner Margery Meltzer. "We did really well. We were way ahead the month of December, and we actually have been going uphill since September."
Post-holiday shoppers strolled Circuit Avenue in Oak Bluffs.
Down the street at Mansion House, co-owner Susan Goldstein described Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as "wonderfully busy" at the inn. Several guests even took the time to write thank-you notes, she said. On the other side of Main Street, Bunch of Grapes owner Dawn Braasch said the bookstore had a good season. Sales were on par with 2007, the last time the store was in operation at Christmastime before a devastating fire in July 2008.
Rainy Day store manager Helen MacLeod said she was pleased to see business as usual. "We're pretty much in the same place we were last year, and I felt like people definitely did the same thing they always do," she said. "They wait pretty much until the last two weeks and then they come into the store in hordes. Christmas Eve was out of control, but it was great."
Secret Garden gift shop owner Sharon Kelly said December sales are about even with last year's, which she is grateful for, all things considered. "We're still down for the year," said Ms. Kelly, who owns the Oak Bluffs store and another in Avon, Conn. "But the good news is, we track profitability, and even though sales are down, our profit is about the same as it was last year."
A wet blanket on shopping
Unfortunately, the blizzard that struck the Vineyard the weekend before Christmas kept customers away from Island businesses on December 20.
An icing of snow adorned holiday greens in a window box in front of C.B. Stark Jewelers.
"Sunday would have normally been a really good shopping day, but with the snowstorm, we didn't have any business that day," Ms. Stark said. "So we were all wondering if we were going to make it up, and we did."
Ms. MacLeod said losing that day of sales was a hard hit. To compensate, Rainy Day opened a little earlier and closed a little later during Christmas week. "I think people rallied and they made up for it in the few days after the storm," she said.
Although the snowstorm also hurt sales at Bunch of Grapes, Ms. Braasch said, "The Saturday before Christmas is our busiest day, so luckily it came on Sunday."
At the Mansion House, however, the storm's results were positive, generating a flurry of extra business, Ms. Goldstein said. "We had a number of guests from up-Island and some couples who felt that they might be too isolated in their homes by the time they got plowed out, and they came down here and had a really good time living in town," she said.
What the customer wants
With the recession in full swing and consumers more cautious in their spending, retailers said they tried to hone in on what would sell.
At Donaroma's Nursery in Edgartown, Mariko Kawaguchi, a senior designer who heads the floral department, said the goal was to offer customers holiday items in a wide price range, from ornaments that cost $2 to $3, to handmade products from local Cape and Islands artists.
Operating a business in this economy is definitely a balancing act, as Annie Schwenk pointed out. She owns Laughing Bear in Oak Bluffs, which sells women's clothing and accessories.
"Business has been off, but I've also worked more than I've ever worked, and I've hired less people, and I bought less," Ms. Schwenk said. "I felt like I had figured it all out. I spent days and weeks going over figures and making charts and analyzing everything. I'm perplexed as to what I'll do next. I'll probably have to buy less, but people expect certain things."
January is the month when many shop owners look at their cash flow, figure out what they will buy and how much they will spend, and go to shows to make their purchases, Ms. Kelly noted. "You can't be too much doom and gloom in your projections or your buying, or it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy," she said. "If you don't have it, you can't sell it."
Dining out
For some of the Island's restaurant owners, however, the holiday season was not the icing on the cake. Jean Dupon, owner of Le Grenier, a French restaurant in Vineyard Haven, said business has been terrible this year. As of Monday, the restaurant's New Year's Eve reservations numbered less than half of what they have been in past years.
"If we had had a beer and wine license, it would have been a cushion and I could have stayed open and kept my employees employed," he said, in reference to Tisbury's vote to remain a dry town in 2008.
Instead, for the first time, Mr. Dupon plans to close his restaurant after New Year's Eve and reopen in March. He will be open Feb. 11-14 for Valentine's Day weekend, however.
Mike Santoro, the managing partner for the year-round Seasons Restaurant and seasonal Lookout Tavern in Oak Bluffs, said 2009 has been one of the most challenging in his 18 years on the Island.
"Unfortunately, what's happening now is that everyone, including myself, we're all working two to three times harder than we have in the past to make less," Mr. Santoro said. "I found myself doing a lot more specials last summer, and I'll be doing a lot more this coming summer." He plans to operate a little leaner in 2010 than last year, he added.
Although Seasons had a spike in business last weekend, it didn't match holiday numbers in 2008. "It's been a tough winter already," Mr. Santoro said. "What I'm seeing with locals is that money is tight. I rely on a lot of contractors and construction guys, and they either don't have the jobs, or if they do, they're afraid to spend right now. You can't blame people. The first thing you cut back on is your entertainment."
Sharky's owner J.B. Blau said business has been good in his restaurants in Oak Bluffs and Edgartown, although not what it was a year or two ago. The two weeks before and after Christmas are a big factor in plans to keep both locations open seven days a week this winter, he added.
"Every good day now buys us a week in January, February, March, and April," Mr. Blau said. "The way we look at it is that the holiday business is supplementing the winter months, and it's helping the staff as well so they can survive. So we're optimistic."
Shopping enticements
To entice reluctant holiday shoppers, the Tisbury Business Association launched "Twilight Thursdays" this year, with the help of Rainy Day owner Heather Kochin, Kiddo's owner Danielle Bailey, and C.B. Stark Jewelers manager Sarah York.
On Thursday nights in December, many Tisbury businesses stayed open later than usual and offered store specials, entertainment, and treats for shoppers.
In a departure from a tradition for the past five years, however, Donaroma's Nursery did not host its popular "Evening of Enchantment" that showcases lights, decorations, and holiday merchandise.
Instead, Donaroma's offered late-night Fridays for shoppers and extra workshops during the holiday season, such as Christmas tree decorating and flower-arranging.
Although owners Janice and Mike Donaroma made plans earlier in the year for "Evening of Enchantment," Mr. Donaroma said they made the painful decision to cancel it based on economic reasons.
"It was scary in the spring," he said. "Who knew whether you'd be standing here at this time of year? We're a big family here at Donaroma's, so we tried to cut back on hours and things other than employees."
However, the Donaromas already are considering ideas for revamping the event. "We'll just take a break for a year," he said. "I'm sure people will understand, and that they've helped us make it through a little easier. That doesn't mean it's completely over."
