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ALBANY — Shopping locally in Albany was a hit this holiday season for many local businesses.

The 2023 holiday season boasted high sales and new customer establishments for many. For others, though, this year marked an uncharacteristically slow season.

The 2023 holiday season was predicted to reach record spending levels that matched pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels by the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association.

Retail sales grew by about 3% from last year between Nov. 1 through Dec. 24, according to data from Mastercard SpendingPulse, a platform that predicts retail sales across payment platforms. Apparel was the most widely purchased product by shoppers this holiday season.

Joe Sheffield, owner of the recently opened Ace Hardware on U.S. Highway 82 in Lee County, said he experienced this trend as apparel like Costa sunglasses and HUK gear were among the store’s most popular holiday items.

Ace Hardware had its soft opening Nov. 14 and grand opening on Dec. 15. It was challenging preparing for both the store’s opening and the holiday season, Sheffield said.

“But we made it happen,” he said. “We had a great response and a busy Christmas season.”

Sheffield surpassed his sales target, with sales at 125% of where his expectations were, he said. He said he saw many repeat customers who continued to come back throughout the month.

The store’s most sold item was the Stanley cup, Sheffield said.

“We would get in cases of those things, and within hours they would be gone,” he said.

Opening during the holiday season was beneficial because it gave people a chance to check the new store out and begin holiday shopping at the same time, Sheffield said.

For small businesses, the holidays can be crucial. Two in three small businesses in the U.S. say holidays are essential for their business’ financial health, according to an American Express Survey.

This holiday season is what carries a business through January to March, until its next busy season, Savannah Childress, co-owner of Albany’s Roots and Wings, a clothing and jewelry boutique, said. The store makes money during Christmas time, but owners have to turn around and restock the bulk of inventory and make payroll to prepare for a less busy season until spring, she said.

Roots and Wings has been in business for about nine years but didn’t open a brick-and-mortar site until November 2019. The shop took a hit in opening right before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Childress said, but this holiday season, they saw their highest sales yet.

The shop, which is along Westover Boulevard, saw major customer turnout consistently throughout the holidays, she said. Customers filled the trendy boutique each day, and there were often three to four workers manning the floor of the tiny shop to meet the need.

Childress and her mom, the store’s co-owner, filled the festive month with unique shopping events like “Sip and Shops,” during which customers could browse and sip hot cocoa. They dropped holiday collections with velvets and seasonal colors. They also dispersed deals for shoppers throughout the month.

“We really tried to be inventive with different sales … to make our business stand out as a whole,” Childress said.

The Showroom, a clothing boutique in downtown Albany, also saw an influx of customers in the last month, Teri Franklin, the shop’s seamstress, said.

The boutique is a “one stop shop” at which customers can shop for clothing, accessories and skincare, as well as get their looks tailored onsite. The store saw many customers looking to buy holiday outfits. Franklin said she expects this trend to continue through to New Years Day, as people shop for last-minute looks.

Franklin said she believes the increase in downtown events and concerts along the Flint River brought more foot traffic to businesses in the area.

“Everyone down here is like-minded in trying to attract people downtown,” she said. “We are gradually inching into being in the norm, post-pandemic.”

However, Missy Whitney, a fellow downtown business owner of the Paisley Fig, said more needs to be done to push business in downtown Albany. This holiday season she said she saw less customers.

“It wasn’t as lucrative as other years,” Whitney said. “I’d say this was my slowest season that we’ve had so far.”

We don’t have as much traffic downtown as business owners have out near the Albany Mall, she said.

“I feel like the city and the downtown powers that be do not support downtown and push traffic downtown,” Whitney said. “We need new leaders for the area.”

Whitney does a lot of business by traveling to events outside of Albany and through her online store.

Online shopping continues to rise in popularity across the country. It’s been one of the biggest shifts in consumer behavior since the COVID-19 pandemic with sales expected to increase between 7-9% this year, according to the NRF.

2020 was Whitney’s best year because of online sales, she said.

Other efforts to increase local business took shape in pop-up holiday markets at different businesses like Pretoria Fields Brewery downtown, and Temp Coffee along U.S. Highway 19 in Leesburg. These pop-ups highlight small business owners who set up little booths to sell their products.

Sammy Ayala, a Temp employee, said the coffee shop’s market drew in a lot of people. The business holds markets throughout the year, but this holiday season was notably busier, he said.

About 10 local vendors filled the coffee shop’s space, offering ceramics, books, Georgia grown herbs and other goods. Ayala overheard people saying they didn’t know some of these businesses existed locally.

“It’s a good way to get things out there,” he said. “It helps people get to know what’s around Albany. It’s not as quiet as everyone says.”

Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan[email protected]
Staff Photo: Lucille Lannigan