Shopping season off to good start, merchants say

Shopping season off to good start, merchants say

Dec. 2, 2000

By Aspen Emmett
Journal Staff Writer

CINDY IRVIN of the Good Samaritan Center in Cortez makes up sacks of groceries for needy families on Tuesday. Food is available Monday through Friday from noon to 2 p.m. at the center at 25 1/2 S. Elm St, behind Slavens. The center also accepts donations of food and is need of children’s and men’s gloves, and men’s work gloves and work boots.

Slow summer sales attributed to the fires at Mesa Verde are quickly disappearing from memory for most Cortez merchants. The holiday shopping season is here and the money has been rolling in, particularly in the days immediately following Thanksgiving.

"Friday and Saturday (Nov. 24 and 25) were way up over last year," said Sheryl Merrit, owner of the Dream Catcher. "People tend to shop the most these first couple of weeks."

Merritt said holiday dresses, candles, and ornaments seem to be the most popular items in her store this time of year.

"People are buying as much for themselves as they are for other people," she said.

Canyon Sports, a new store in town, has seen its share of the wealth with seasonal shopping giving them the highest numbers since they opened in July.

"We have lots of local support," said co-owner Duane Daniels. "Last week was really good."

Canyon Sports has extended store hours for the shopping season as well as running "happy hours" for locals.

"On Tuesdays, if you shop between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., you get 10 percent off, and between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m., you get 20 percent off," Daniels said.

Popular sellers at Canyon Sports are the usual suspects for a sporting-goods store in the winter. Telemark ski packages, ski coats, ski accessories and outdoor books top the list for gifts at Daniels’ store, although he admitted a shift in the weather would benefit business.

"Any time you’re doing winter sports, you’re praying for snow," Daniels said.

Bob Helms of the Toggery said a little extra snow might boost certain sales.

"We had the one good snowstorm when we sold lots of coats and boots," Helms said.

Regardless, his business has done well this season.

"All of November has been up," he said.

Sales are also healthy at Nu-Way Western Wear, but owner Marti Spitzer expects the last-minute shoppers to be the biggest spenders.

"It’s been good, right up there with last year," Spitzer said. "But we haven’t had a lot of early Christmas shoppers."

Last week Nu-Way also had a promotional lure for shoppers with discounts based on a spinning wheel that each customer has a shot at upon entering the store.

Spitzer said the gifts of choice in her store have been dishes and picture frames.

"Boots are really my forte though," she said.

Although merchants are hesitant to predict the final outcome of the shopping season, the common consensus is that rumors of a slowing economy will not have a direct effect on local businesses.

"I’ve seen where it’s supposed to be down," Spitzer said. "But we’re not really feeling it."

Merritt agreed, adding that she thinks Cortez’s economy is not linked strongly to the national economy, and that even within the community, a slow agriculture year doesn’t necessarily have a major impact on her business.

"We have so much variety that when there’s a down in one area, it doesn’t affect all of our customers," she said. "They’ve done some good shopping so far."