Stores Start Off ‘Hoping’

Businesses Report Strong Weekend Sales

The first weekend of the holiday shopping season proved a busy one in the Rockbridge area.

Rebecca Logan, director of Main Street Lexington, told The News-Gazette that according to the businesses she’d spoken with, the weekend was successful and busy with shoppers.

She cited a national forecast that had predicted that American consumers would spend more this season than in recent years, and said that according to her knowledge, that prediction was panning out.

Logan attributed some of the success of the shopping weekend to an earlier implementation of MSL’s “Shop Small” program, which included a Holiday Gift Guide on its website, and a revamped version of the Shop Small Sweepstakes.

Formerly known as the Love Lex Lotto, the sweepstakes had new rules this year. Previously, customers had only to visit participating businesses to fill out entry cards. This year, customers are required to spend at least $10 at participating shops and restaurants to receive a sticker. Once participants collect at least five stickers, they may enter for a chance to win shopping spree prizes, including a $750 grand prize.

Ellie Bunten, store manager at Walkabout Outfitter in Lexington, said that people were loving the Sweepstakes, as well as Lexington’s focus on small businesses in general.

“This is a great town for it,” she said. “Everyone comes out to the small businesses for their shopping.”

Bunten said that Black Friday was a little busier than Small Business Saturday, but that on both days, “the store was hopping.”

Debbie Darlington, owner of the Shenandoah Attic, had a similar experience. She said that after the busy weekend, she was feeling “appreciative, thankful, and glad.”

She said that the rule change for the Shop Small Sweepstakes was a blessing, with shoppers happy to comply and make purchases in order to earn a sticker.

“People here generally want to see small businesses thrive,” she said.

The Shenandoah Attic saw more traffic than in past years, partly due to its new location on the corner, in the old Grand building. “People can look in our windows from two stoplights now,” Darlington said. “So we try to make the windows a focal point and increase our visibility, so we can get our message across.

“I give all the credit to the good Lord,” she said.

Celtic Tides in Lexington had its best Thanksgiving sales weekend ever, in over 20 years of business. Owner Mary Jo Morman said that sales were driven less by folks looking for sweepstakes stickers and more by out-of-town visitors — of whom there were a lot, she said — and locals who were simply motivated by their desire to support small businesses.

Lexington’s House Mountain Yarn Company had similar successes. When owner Ellie Boylan compared the weekend’s sales numbers with past years, she found that it broke their all-time sales record.

“It was just a fun atmosphere, and the weather was nice,” she said. Black Friday was slightly better than Saturday for House Mountain Yarn’s sales, but it didn’t matter because both days were busy with enthusiastic shoppers.

The Quiltery in Fairfield had a good weekend, in part because Small Business Saturday coincided with a “fifth Saturday” sale day, which the Quiltery celebrates with a 20% off sale. Quiltery employee Susan Maluski, who spoke on the phone with The News-Gazette, said that it was “quite busy on Saturday,” and also highlighted the bevy of out-of-town visitors who stopped in.

“We always have visitors from out of town because of our big sign on the highway,” she said.

In Buena Vista, business was booming for local shops Vinyl Cuts and Coiner Country Store, which had some of their biggest sales days ever.

Main Street Buena Vista organizer Brooke Dalton told The News-Gazette that the increase in some shops’ business boosted other businesses as well.

“The significant increase in foot traffic and sales seems to have had a trickle-down effect for Straws and Asunder Coffee Roasters,” she said, “with shoppers getting thirsty or needing a pick-me-up.”

Small Business Saturday turned out more customers than Black Friday in Buena Vista, according to Vinyl Cuts owner Ruthie Lawhorne, partly due to a 20% off sale they ran that day, but Friday, with its 10% off sale, was almost as successful for them.

“It was a record sales day on Small Business Saturday,” said Lawhorne, adding Vinyl Cuts to the list of local businesses breaking records.

They were also aided by a Main Street Buena Vista sweepstakes, similar to Lexington’s, called the Jolly Jackpot. At participating local stores, shoppers can receive one ticket per business per day. Tickets can be dropped into collection boxes at participating stores, with winners being drawn after Dec. 20. Winners will receive gift cards of various amounts. On Small Business Saturday, shoppers were treated to twice the amount of jackpot tickets.