News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Maybe it was the lack of snow on the ski slopes; maybe snow on the pass Saturday kept travelers in town. Whatever the reason, Sisters was full of shoppers over the Thanksgiving weekend and local merchants hope that strong sales portend a bustling holiday season.
Many Sisters retailers reported Thanksgiving-weekend sales comparable to or exceeding peak summer sales. Most said their sales were up considerably over the same period last year.
"We had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend," said Gordon Bowman, owner of The Candle House. He said sales exceeded last year's Thanksgiving weekend and put him ahead of his current plan.
According to Bowman, some of his customers said they had come to town to shop because there wasn't enough snow for skiing.
Bowman said that, despite gloomy retail forecasts in some Central Oregon media, customers were shopping for Christmas gifts and were going after "upper end" merchandise, actions he sees as signs of a good holiday season for merchants.
"Spending for gifts is not a problem this year," he said.
Bob Grooney, owner of The Gallimaufry, said his sales were up from last Thanksgiving, an encouraging sign. The long-time Sisters merchant said Thanksgiving weekend has usually been a good indicator for the holiday season.
"I think it's going to be a great season," he said.
Not all Sisters merchants were willing to bet on the weekend's sales to predict the performance of the next few weeks.
Paula Hendry, manager of Christmas Mountain Magic, was cautiously optimistic.
"Month to month it (the retail climate) changes and it's not always what you expect," she said. "But we had a real good weekend, so going into (the holiday season) it looks good."
"There's too many whims and fancies" to make predictions, said Steve Wilson of Mountain Man Trading Post. Wilson noted that the weather plays a role in whether or not shoppers come out to Sisters. The busy Thanksgiving weekend, his best in three years, he said, was "a pleasant surprise."
But not all Sisters businesses had cause to celebrate. The dearth of snow meant no ski rentals for Eurosports -- and consequently paltry sales of caps and gloves and goggles and other ski accessories. Like local ski resorts and winter recreationists, Eurosport owner Brad Boyd must keep an eye on the sky and wait for the white stuff to start falling.
"Give me snow and I'll have a good weekend," Boyd said.
Rosie Horton, manager of Common Threads, said that December is historically about the same each year in terms of sales. But, she said, this year has been unsteady for retailers and a strong Thanksgiving weekend was very welcome.
"It was a nice shot in the arm," she said.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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