Barrhead merchants are ever-thankful and enthusiastic about people in the community who choose to do their shopping locally.
Buying from stores in town, rather than venturing elsewhere, is what keeps small communities like Barrhead thriving.
Opting to take a stroll through the streets of Barrhead in Nov. and Dec. to search for that perfect gift, rather than heading to the big city centres, keeps both money and jobs in the community.
The competition of Edmonton shopping has always been an ongoing obstacle for small business owners. But is online shopping starting to take its toll on Main Street as well?
It could have been the weather, or perhaps residents in the area were more keen on staying inside in general. Whatever the reason, many business owners didn’t see the regular Christmas rush until about two weeks before Christmas.
Though shoppers seemed to be late to the game this Christmas season, Barrhead businesses did eventually see the hustle and bustle of the holidays according to a Leader survey last week.
Though the Christmas rush did come eventually, Morris said she didn’t see a lot of holiday shoppers until about two weeks before Christmas. The town itself didn’t seem as busy as it normally would be, she said.
“Dec. 15 it seemed to pick up. Everyone was doing last minute shopping instead of shopping in Nov,” said Morris. “Even Nov. 30 when it’s 25 days away from Christmas people still aren’t out shopping.”
This could have had a lot to do with the weather, said Morris, as there were quite a few days when the conditions outside were less than desirable.
“The roads weren’t that good, so I thought more people would be shopping local,” said Morris. But no one wanted to be outside. A lot of online shopping done this year compared to last year.”
However, when the busyness in downtown Barrhead picked up, Morris said it was hard to find a parking spot on Main Street.
Popular at Define Clothing this year was Saxx underwear, along with hoodies and shirts.
Morris said she wanted to express gratitude to those who did stay and do their Christmas shopping in town.
“Definitely thank the people who came into the store and shopped local and supported us,” she said.
Vogelzang said business was down from the previous year, but it wasn’t unexpected. After becoming independent from The Source in Sept. 2013, the last several months have been hard to compare to 2012.
“This Christmas was a Christmas of new territory for us because we’re selling different products and doing different things,” he said. “We’re really just feeling our way as we go along here and recreating ourselves.”
Vogelzang said he has noticed the Christmas rush coming later each passing year. This year the store didn’t see the bustle of Christmas shoppers until the last two weeks before Christmas.
“That seems to be later and later every year. Back in the day Nov. was a huge month,” he said. “Every year as time has gone by we see people be more last minute.”
This Christmas, the most sought after items were cell phones and televisions, followed closely by computers.
As for shopping local, Vogelzang said the store still sees a lot of the same faces.
Particularly in regards to the transition from The Source to Barrhead Sound, a lot of people have made a point in saying they’re going to shop at Barrhead Sound and support the store as much as possible, added Vogelzang.
“In years before when everything was the same, it was a question of how many people came in and out. Now our whole offering is different,” said Vogelzang. “It’s difficult to know how much of the change is due to that, versus business being up or down in general.”
Compared to 2012, McKart said she found a lot of people shopped locally for their Christmas gifts. The reasons? The shop owner is unsure, but not complaining.
“I don’t know if it was the weather or what was keeping them here, but they were here,” she said. “And right until Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve was busier this year than it was last year too, by a long shot.”
Candles were the big thing at The Wishing Well this year, along with Christmas candy bouquets and scarves.
Though the shop was was quite busy this year, McKart said she noticed people started their shopping later. There wasn’t nearly as many shoppers during the Light Up Night and Christmas Parade like there was in 2012.
“Light Up was terrible. I’m going to say people didn’t start Christmas shopping until the end of November, early December,” said McKart. “That’s when it started picking up.”
Next month The Wishing Well will be moving to Main Street beside Hong Kong Restaurant. McKart said if the shop continues at their current location, she doesn’t think they would make it due to lack of traffic.
Along with a new location, the shop will be offering an expanded stock as well as a coffee bar.
Though slow at the start of the holiday season, Mackenzie said Christmas 2013 was good for the store. Flower and gift sales were up from last year, and the shop owner is quite happy.
“The rush probably started about the 17th,” said Mackenzie. “When the weather got nasty, then we got busier. So it was kind of a good thing the weather got nasty.”
Flower Lane was bustling right up until Dec. 31, which Mackenzie said is a little strange. She sold a lot of flowers after Christmas as well.
Popular items this year were arrangements and candles, though Mackenzie said it changes every year.
Business may be good for the shop, but Mackenzie doesn’t think the community has started consciously shopping local any more than usual. If people are going to shop here, they shop here, she said.
“A lot of people say they only shop in Barrhead, and you see them and they do only shop in Barrhead,” said Mackenzie. “But you get the other people who go to the city and big centers because we don’t have everything here either.”
Mackenzie added those who do their shopping in the city probably grab the common little things too, just because they’re already there.
Stoik, who owns the store with Willa Adams, said business this Christmas season was comparable to 2012. Business can always be better, she said, but 2013 wasn’t bad.
Like many other businesses, JS Jewellery also saw that Christmas rush delay. Two weeks before Dec. 25 was when shopping really picked up at the store, said Stoik.
“We weren’t dead by any means, but it was about two weeks before Christmas then boom,” she said. “Then we felt it, finally Christmas has struck.”
Why the delay? Stoik said it could possibly have been the weather, though it varies from person to person.
Normally the store sees a lot of men because they tend to be last-minute shoppers, said Stoik. This year however there were quite a few women doing their shopping as well.
Pandora charm bracelets were by far the biggest seller for the store this year.
Although the business still gets a lot of local shoppers, Stoik said she thinks many people are beginning to do their shopping online.
“I think online shopping is hurting a lot of businesses, and I think people still want to go to the city,” said Stoik. “People want to go to the city, just because they want to go to the city. You’re always going to have that.”
