Despite the pandemic and restricted border, 2021 was a big year for these Whatcom retailers
Even while dealing with COVID restrictions and very little cross-border traffic, Whatcom County retailers set a record for retail sales in 2021.
About $5.6 billion was spent in Whatcom County last year, according to data from the Washington State Department of Revenue. That’s 18.4% more than in 2020 and also a big jump compared to the 2019 total of $4.8 billion before the widespread arrival of COVID-19 in Whatcom County.
Nearly all the consumer categories’ sales numbers were higher than before the pandemic, including cars, furniture, building materials and sporting goods.
A few notable categories that didn’t return to pre-pandemic sales levels were restaurants, big box stores and clothing. Despite dealing with all kinds of restrictions in 2021, restaurants tallied $384.7 million in sales last year, a 30% jump compared to 2020 but just shy of the $400.6 million total in 2019.
Big box stores in Whatcom County generated $356.9 million in sales last year, which was just short of the 2019 total of $361.4 million. One key customer base that Whatcom’s big box stores missed in 2021 was Canadian shoppers because of the travel restrictions in place at the border throughout the year.
The overall rebound in retail sales was expected locally, given the amount of federal stimulus money that was pumped into the economy, said Guy Occhiogrosso, president and CEO of the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce.
With many of the Canadian border restrictions lifted in April, Occhiogrosso expects a gradual increase in cross-border shopping. This summer will be an important period not only for cross-border traffic, but for tourism in general.
“It will be interesting to see what more and open tourism will mean in Whatcom County,” Occhiogrosso said in a telephone interview, adding that attendance to the big, free events like the Fourth of July celebration will be a sign of how comfortable people are at this stage of the pandemic.
At $5.6 billion, Whatcom County had the eighth-highest total among Washington’s 39 counties. King County topped the list at $78.4 billion, followed by Pierce ($22.9 billion) and Snohomish ($20.3 billion) counties.
