Sensational to so-so:  QC businesses reflect on holiday shopping

Onda Willert said this was a great Christmas shopping season for her small business –  Renee & Perry Vintage at 2020 E. 11th St., Davenport. The vintage resale store sold a little bit of everything during the holiday season such as old teapots, candles, artwork and vintage Christmas decorations. “I think a lot of people […]

Onda Willert said this was a great Christmas shopping season for her small business –  Renee & Perry Vintage at 2020 E. 11th St., Davenport. The vintage resale store sold a little bit of everything during the holiday season such as old teapots, candles, artwork and vintage Christmas decorations. “I think a lot of people were buying things so they could be reminded of grandma’s house during the holidays,” she said.

Not far from her vintage shop in the Village of East Davenport, Mary’s Diamond’s and Jewelry at 2115 E. 12th St. was also having a great shopping season. But her customers weren’t looking to the past; they were spending Christmas shopping money on the future. They spent the holiday getting ready for spring weddings. “It’s been wonderful. … We’ve been selling a lot of bridal. It’s been rings, rings and more rings,” said Mary O’Connell, owner of the jewelry business. Mary’s Diamonds and Renee & Perry are two small businesses in the region that are making their way through this year’s holiday shopping season. Even though that season is technically still in progress, much of the shopping has been done. And the early shopping results in the Quad Cities seems to be a mixed bag for small businesses. Some are reporting sensational results; others are saying it has been a “so-so” season. On the national front, retail sales climbed 3.8% from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 compared with the same period last year, Mastercard SpendingPulse data shows. The boost in spending exceeded a Mastercard SpendingPulse estimate of 3.2%, while outperforming last year's growth of 3.1%.  "The holiday shopping season revealed a consumer who is willing and able to spend but driven by a search for value as can be seen by concentrated e-commerce spending during the biggest promotional periods," Michelle Meyer, chief economist at the Mastercard Economics Institute, said in a statement. Some of the other national shopping trends for the holiday season include: 

• According to the Mastercard SpendingPulse report, online spending during the holiday shopping period from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 grew by 6.7% over last year, compared to a 2.9% increase for in-store sales.  Mastercard SpendingPulse tracks all kinds of payments including cash and debit cards. The last five days of the season accounted for 10% of the spending.
• The National Retail Federation (NRF) expects that shoppers will have made $979.5 billion to $989 billion worth of purchases in November and December, which would represent a 2.5% to 3.5% increase over the same two-month period a year ago, according to the NRF report.
• Shoppers each budgeted a record $902 on average for gifts and seasonal items, like decorations and food. Online shopping is a main contributor of overall retail sales growth and is expected to increase between 8% and 9%. That's about $295.1 billion to $297.9 billion, according to the NRF.
• According to WalletHub, 72% of people say holiday shopping is worth it. Also, 31% of people reported they would spend less on their holiday shopping this year.
• The most recent government data on consumer spending, released Dec. 17, showed shoppers stepped up activity at retail stores last month. But auto dealer sales drove most of those gains as huge storms created a need for new cars in parts of the southeast slammed by Hurricane Helene in October. Big discounts at many retail chains also attracted shoppers, according to pbs.org.

On the Quad Cities shopping scene, not all stores reported a great holiday shopping season. For instance, Julie’s Artistic Rose Florist, 1601 Fifth Ave., Moline, is a small business that specializes in fresh flowers. But the small business also offers plenty of holiday-themed gifts. (Many of those gifts were on sale for half price on Saturday, Dec. 28.) Sally McGee, owner of Julie’s, said it was a pretty good – but not great – holiday shopping season for the business. She said her business was hurt by online shopping and the lack of shoppers visiting downtown Moline. “We don’t get the foot traffic we used to get. People aren’t coming to downtown like they used to. … When you walk downtown, everybody has everything for sale (at big discounts). That’s how they stay open,” she added. Ms. McGee said she is looking forward to the holiday that really helps Julie’s – Valentine’s Day on Feb. 14. It’s that holiday when people in the community rediscover her business, she added. “We’ve been here 40 years, but I still get people who will stop by and say ‘Oh, I didn’t know you were here,’” Ms. McGee said. The holiday shopping season was better for the Brick & Motor Fashion Boutique at 1629 Second Ave. in downtown Rock Island. Haley Walker, one of the boutique’s owners, called it “our best Christmas ever” with strong sales during the holiday. People were buying women’s clothing, candles, purses, bags, coats, jewelry, accessories, and much more. “There’s been a big push to support small businesses. … That’s helped us,” she added. Brick & Motor needs a big holiday season because it generates about 40% of its annual sales during the fourth quarter of the year. Also, the holidays are usually followed by a “very slow” sales period of January through April, Ms. Walker said. “This is the time of year that will help us keep the doors open to next Christmas,” she added.