They may have a slightly tired look these days, but for many in the retail industry it's a good kind of tired.
While official sales numbers for Whatcom County won't be out until later this year, a quick check with some business owners indicates it was a solid holiday shopping season for many stores. When asked to guess, many retail owners I talked to said their sales were up 5 or 10 percent over 2010. Nationally, initial reports put retail sales increasing by 3.4 percent compared to the previous year.
The holiday season can be a bit of a gamble. Many retailers were expecting a solid holiday shopping season, but confidence in the economy is still at a stage where a string of bad news could easily derail what's usually the busiest time of year. So, how much inventory do you order? If a retailer orders too much and sales don't go well, the business is stuck with the inventory, leading to a loss. If a retailer doesn't order enough, the store runs the risk of alienating customers by running out of product early.
Chris and Anna Adams decided to order significantly more than usual for their business, Old World Deli. The deli on 1228 N. State St. has been building a stronger retail component, adding market items such as wine, specialty chocolates, pasta and other foods that are suitable as gifts. For this season, they ordered about 30 percent more inventory than the previous holiday season, and it resulted in sales increasing about 25 percent, Chris Adams said.
"Last year we took a low risk in ordering, and ended up running out of stuff," Adams said. "This year we were seeing increasing sales each month leading up to the holidays, so we felt it was time to take a bigger risk."
The one thing Adams said he would have done differently is order for the holidays a little earlier.
"I waited a little long before pulling the trigger," he said.
One big difference he noticed was the attitude of the customers. People seemed more willing to spend, and not just for gifts: If they saw something they liked, they also would buy it for themselves.
The shopping pace at Old World Deli seemed to mirror other retailers: After Thanksgiving there was a bit of a lull, but then sales increased as it got closer to Christmas. The Friday before Christmas was the busiest day for Old World Deli, particularly for those market goods.
"It (sales) had been building throughout that week," Adams said.
The good holiday season has led Adams to do more hiring. The business is up to 10 employees, and they expect to remain busy because January tends to be a busy time for catering.
"Now seems to be a time to take more risk," Adams said.
CHANGES AT BELLIS FAIR
With the holiday shopping season out of the way, Bellis Fair mall appears ready to make some changes.
A tenant improvement permit application was filed to change the walled-off space on the south side of the Food Court (in the former Elephant & Castle spot) and put in a Forever 21 clothing store. Forever 21 sells a variety of clothing, shoes and accessories and has several stores in the Seattle area.
Officials at Bellis Fair haven't commented on details about the project. If Forever 21 does end up in there, it would be the first time that space would be filled since Elephant & Castle left in 2002.
Also at Bellis Fair, FYE, which sells movies and music in the Macy's wing, is leaving. It is having a sale through the end of January. The nearest FYE store is at the Alderwood Mall in Seattle.
OTHER TIDBITS
• On its website, Menchie's Frozen Yogurt has announced it is entering the Bellingham market. It'll have a store at 1070 Lakeway Drive near Little Caesar's Pizza in the Lakeway Center. According to its website (menchies.com), Menchie's offers more than 40 different toppings as well as yogurt mixes that customers can serve themselves. Once a customer is done putting it together, they pay based on the ounce. No opening date was announced.
• Nostalgia Vintage Wear at 1323 11th St. in Fairhaven is having a closing business sale. The four-year-old store, which sells clothes made or inspired from the 1930s to the 1970s, will have the sale through January, according to its website.
• A "Coming Soon" sign is up for a restaurant called Café Rumba at 1140 N. State St., across from the Herald Building.
• According to a building permit application, Whistle Workwear is making plans to expand at its current space at 3908 Meridian St. into the empty space that was formerly home to Café Caffe.
• Johnny's Donuts at 2201 Cornwall Ave. has new winter hours. The shop is open 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
• In the new CH2M Hill building at 21 Bellwether Way, Suite 101, tenant improvement permits were filed for a new coffee place on the ground floor, called Seabreeze Coffee House.
• The Blockbuster store in the Bakerview Fred Meyer shopping center is closing at that location and is having a sale, which is expected to last through January.
