Sales and spirits rise in Sisters

Total retail sales were projected to grow 2.8 percent this holiday season over last year's, to about $465 billion nationally, according to the National Retail Federation. Many business owners in Sisters confirmed that their sales over the holidays reflected this expected rise.

Although lack of snow challenged the winter recreation and the hospitality industry, business owners noticed that the foot traffic in town increased with the warm weather.

"I noticed a lot of folks from the Valley making day trips because of our sunny weather," said Desert Charm owner, Bobbi Meritt. "Overall, our holiday season went very well."

Many business owners also attributed increased sales to community members who shopped locally this year.

Brad Smith, owner of Paulina Springs Books, said that he's been in the retail industry for 35 years and has never seen so much local support.

"I heard over and over again customers saying that they were going to do all their shopping locally for the holidays," Smith said. "It sure seems that in the past year there has been a spike in public awareness of the value of local businesses -this is the best we've done in a number of years."

Smith said that Paulina Springs' "Ditch Amazon Day" was a conversation starter for proponents of the movement to shop local. Paulina Springs offered a 25 percent discount to shoppers who closed their Amazon account. This discount was a response to Amazon's controversial promotion to find cheaper prices on the Internet.

"We got a lot of replies from people [about Ditch Amazon Day] and I appreciated them," said Smith. He said these responders and folks who are passionate about shopping locally keep him in business.

Sisters Log Furniture & Home Décor owner, Chris Wilder, noticed not only an increase in the turnout of Sisters locals, but in shoppers from Bend, Redmond and Prineville. Wilder thinks that the increase in Central Oregon shoppers comes from people looking to Sisters for both "quality and value."

Sales at Sisters Log Furniture were up over last year.

"It's still hard and we have to work every day, but we are feeling good - we are actually expanding in 2012," Wilder said. "We're opening up a second location here in Sisters."

Wilder is not alone in his optimism. Sisters business owners were positive in their outlook for 2012.

Wade Underwood, owner of Three Creeks Brewing Company, said that with phenomenal local support, an increase in sales and production, and a slightly stronger 2011, he looks forward to 2012.

"I'm very optimistic," Underwood said. "With the consumer confidence up and unemployment down, I think we're in for a good year."