Merchants offer mixed reviews of holiday season so far

Sisters merchants are reporting mixed results from the Christmas shopping season so far, but remain optimistic concerning this most lucrative time until summer.

In a survey conducted by The Nugget, eight out of 11 business owners reported brisk Thanksgiving commerce. However, the Sisters Area Chamber of Commerce conducted a telephone poll eliciting a lackluster response about the holiday.

Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ric Nowak acknowledged that he had received a lukewarm response on the weekend from local businesses.

"Every business I talked to made comments like, 'Well, it was okay,' or 'It could have been a little better,' or 'I've seen worse,'" Nowak said.

Seasonal events revived Sisters for Thanksgiving, after a summer blighted by the B&B Complex Fire and the closure of Highway 20.

"The events are helpful: the tree lighting ceremony, the parade and the art stroll," said Rosie Horton, owner of Common Threads.

"Bringing those people out does well for people's business," said Nowak. "The turnout for the Christmas parade was an all-time record. The Inaugural Tree Lighting event was beyond our expectations."

The weekend definitely crowded stores, though it was hard to tell whether that translated into strong retail sales.

"There were times that we could hardly get too many more people in here," said Tim Muir of Sisters Drug Company.

Sisters Drug Company hosted wine tasting, Santa's elves, and carolers for the Thanksgiving holiday.

"If you've got people here, you might as well play it to the hilt," he said.

Stressing the importance of events to the chamber, Nowak said, "We're 66 percent events funded. Keeping these events producing income at the levels they have with this economy has been a real challenge."

The Chamber of Commerce recently devised a budget outline that overhauled the city's events.

"We've done away with all the craft shows historically held in the Village Green during June, July, and August," revealed Nowak. There will be a new bead show added to the events roster.

Nowak wouldn't comment on the specifics of their new budget outline, but did say that there is no difference in the advertising budget for 2004.

"It's the same, we're just going to make it stretch further," he said.

Both Nowak and local merchants focused on the vital Highway 20 link to the world.

"Anytime you close the highway in any community it's going to impact you," said Muir.

Good skiing conditions mean better business for some, while snowy roads limit store patrons for others.

Avalanches off of Hogg Rock resulting in the closure of the Santiam Pass and treacherous driving conditions can deter valley motorists from visiting Sisters in the winter.

The road closures due to this summer's wildfires choked business for many retailers.

"August was on the way to being a record year, but it didn't happen because of the closure due to the fire," said John Morgan, owner of Christmas Mountain Magic.

"People will take a long time to recover from the fires. It's going to be a long, tough winter," said Nowak.

Some are hoping for a long, snowy winter.

At Black Butte Ranch people are calling wondering about snow conditions before booking a reservation.

Loy Helmly, general manager, said, "Rental reservations for Christmas are down slightly compared to last year."

Bill Reed, owner of Ponderosa Lodge, recorded 60 percent occupancy for Thanksgiving, which is normal; 70- 80 percent occupancy is expected for Christmas.

"It will be a strong week between Christmas and New Year's," said Reed.

Merchants are confident that Christmas shopping will be profitable despite unforeseen weather behavior. Many just hope to do as well as last year.

"We're hard-pressed to maintain the revenue levels that we've enjoyed in the past," said Nowak.