Solid Christmas shopping season
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Businesses in Tillsonburg say it was a busy and successful Christmas season. Despite the lack of snow, there was still plenty of seasonal spirit and gift giving as local residents shopped at stores downtown and throughout Tillsonburg.
“Ours was pretty good,” said Joe Nezezon, store manager at Bennett Clothier in Tillsonburg. “We did quite well – the few days before Christmas were a little bit slow but up until then we did well with some of our promotions, and then Boxing Day was a very busy day for us.
Practical gifts, such as clothing, were popular this Christmas as well, Nezezon added.
“We did quite well with gift cards and sold several gift certificates. People were a little more practical this year, buying everything from socks to winter coats.”
Paul Ritchie, general manager at Canadian Tire in Tillsonburg said the 2012 Christmas shopping season was a good one.
“The beginning of the month (December) was a little slower, the middle was of the month was good and the end of the month ended strong – it was similar to 2011.
“I wouldn’t say it was worse or better but it was about equivalent to the 2011 season,” he added, noting one item they couldn’t keep stocked on the shelves.
“It was the year of the Keurig and the Tassimo (coffee machines). That was the one ‘go-to’ gift this year.”
Local restaurants and pubs also experienced a successful holiday season in 2012.
“It was wonderful,” said Tim Weiler, owner of the Copper Mug in Tillsonburg. “If we didn’t break a record for December, we were awful close. I think a lot of people here were first-time patrons – there were a lot of new faces,” he added, speculating on the reason for the increase over the past several weeks.
“When they put the submarine down in Port Burwell, we got a lot of traffic through. It’s been busy since.”
Other popular dining spots had plenty to be happy about over the holidays.
“We had a very strong season,” said Sean Cross, general manager at Kelsey’s downtown. “I think the favourable weather worked with us, not against us this year and sales were definitely up over last year for us.”
The spirit of gift giving wasn’t just confined to larger department stores this Christmas, as many specialty shops, such as Goble’s Firearms Ltd. in Tillsonburg also welcomed many shoppers this holiday season.
“We’ve been fairly busy and we had a good Christmas season,” said storeowner Wayne Goble. “There was a lot of gift giving - we sell a lot of gift certificates during the holidays too.”
A visit to a local salon or spa were also on Christmas lists for some people this year.
“It was extremely busy, we had full staff and were one hundred per cent booked,” said Crystal Goodlett, manager at Anastacia’s Salon, Spa & Wellness on Broadway. “Peppermint pedicures were a big thing for us and gift cards were also very popular.”
Although southwestern Ontario was experiencing warmer temperatures than other parts of the country during the holiday season and there was a lack of snow in Tillsonburg, that didn’t stop shoppers from visiting local travel agencies with the thought of spending a family Christmas away from home.
“It was an excellent Christmas season,” said Lisa Hirt, owner and manager of Tillsonburg Travel on Broadway. “It was very busy, probably from mid-December on. Some people like to go (on vacation) and be back for Christmas and some people want to be away for Christmas with the whole family.”
Hirt noted that this year in particular, there was an increase in the number of family vacations booked – both during the holidays and early in the New Year, between January and March. Such family vacations appear to be a growing trend for those wishing to travel at Christmas time or during the holidays, and seem to be a popular gift choice for family members.
“Instead of Christmas gifts, people wanted to go away as a family this year,” added Hirt. “Mom, dad, kids and even the grandkids - trips included everybody. It’s happening more and more. I think if parents can afford it then they’ll take the whole family,” she said noting some of the more popular getaway hot spots and vacation destinations this Christmas included warmer climates such as Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean.
“It’s a great family experience,” Hirt concluded.