The Leader • Saturday, January 4, 2020 • Page 1B
Shopping season successful for area stores By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com
Christmas is about giving, spending time with family and much more. But for retailers, it’s about how many consumers will buy from them and how much they will spend during the weeks that follow Thanksgiving. About 190 million people across the United States began their holiday shopping on Black Friday, or the day after Thanksgiving, which is traditionally the start of the holiday shopping season. According to CNBC.com, last year retail sales during the shopping season, excluding auto sales, increased 3.4 percent. The big story this year was the rise of online sales, which increased 18.8 percent. Even with the growth of e-commerce sales, local shops weren’t left out of the increase of retail sales. So while online sales grew, so did the traffic inside some local shops. Brandy Schochler, the manager at Big Blue Whale, 237 W. 19th St., said that this was a record year for the store. She credits it mostly due to the store hitting its five-year mark in the community and thus being more established and well-known. “Also, people come in and say they want to shop local,” Schochler said. “They’d rather do it here than online. I think people like to see the stuff in store and see what they’re actually buying.” The sentiment was echoed by Miguel Vences of We Olive & Wine Bar, 249 W. 19th St. “Online you can get a lot of stuff, but you’re limited by only seeing what it is,” Vences said. “Most people like using more than just one of their senses.” When buying clothes, for example, people want to not only see the garment, but feel the fabric and try it on. Vences said that he’s seen a climb
Photo by Zarah Parker Debbie Hoelscher shops at Jubilee, a boutique on West 19th Street in the Heights. Stores in the area and across the country had a profitable shopping season.
in sales from last year and the year before. He also said while it’s due to people wanting to do more than just see a product, the increase is also because the store sells specialty items you normally won’t find on-
line. For We Olive, its most successful night in terms of sales is White Linen Night, which was in August last year. However, Holiday on 19th Street, which occurred in early De-
cember, provided equivalent sales. “We did really well this season,” said an employee of Manready Mercantile, 321 W. 19th St. “In a store like this it’s all about the experience of the actual store. We have really
cool products, and people come in to make a candle, have a drink while they’re here. It’s just part of the experience. It’s not just getting an item. It’s the fun that goes along with it.”
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Stylist Kathryn Thompson announced the closing of Oak Forest’s Top Knot Salon on Facebook. “January 25, 2020, will be the last day of Top Knot Salon,” the post read. “I want to thank everyone for the continuous love and support over the last year. It has been a fun ride but the decision has been made to permanently close.” Thompson said that all of the stylists would be moving to other locations and that Glo Girl will operate inside the salon until the end of January. In November 2018, Haum Salon’s Joey Cox announced that he had sold Haum Salon to Thompson. 33 1/3 @ Thirtyfourth to start on Phase 2 by fall Developer Chris Hotze announced online a timeframe for the opening of Phase 2 of his retail complex, called 33 1/3 @ Thirtyfourth, at the corner of 34th Street and Ella Boulevard. Hotze said the one-story, 9,000 square feet space will be ready by the fall of 2020. “There is a great deal of interest on the corner and the focus has transitioned to a more permanent use that creates a destination and sense of community with a quality retail tenant,” Hotze said in August. “The increased restaurant density and high traffic flow in the area make the corner extremely sought after.” After-Christmas sale at Threadfare Threadfare Children’s Boutique, at 3415 Oak Forest Dr., announced its after-Christmas sale. Shop online at www. threadfare.com and in store for 40-75 percent off. New promotion at Move Yoga Move Yoga announced its MOVE. INSPIRE. TRANSFORM promotion. Practitioners can sign up for 10 classes (MOVE), 20 classes (INSPIRE) or 30 classes (TRANSFORM) throughout the month of January. On Jan. 31, yogis and yoginis will receive a surprise from Move for
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Contributed photo Hand-rolled sushi is now available at Hando, 518 W. 11th St.
whatever level is completed. A grand prize of 30 days unlimited yoga to keep or gift to a friend will be raffled off for everyone who completes 30 classes. Stop by the studio at 1355 Judiway St. Suite A-2 to sign up. Christmas décor 50 percent off at Lucy’s Nutcrackers, ornaments, nativity scenes, puzzles and more are offered at half-off. Lucy’s Boutiques and Gifts is located at 915 N. Shepherd Dr.
Suite F.
Contributed photo Christmas decor is 50 percent off at Lucy’s, 915 N. Shepherd Dr. Suite F.
Hando now open in Heights Hand-rolled sushi is now available at Hando, 518 W. 11th St. Jason Andaya, who runs the venture with partners Rishi Patel and Ray Chan, said in March that he wanted to change the perception that going out for sushi has to be an event. “It can be a quick bite,” said Andaya, whose restaurant doesn’t take reservations. Hando offers hand rolls, or
temaki, which differs from the cut rolls that are often pictured in magazines. Hando occupies an end cap space in Revive Development’s 5,200 square foot buildout of a former industrial warehouse. The restaurant is 1,200 square feet with a Ushaped bar so patrons can watch chefs prepare sushi in the open. Have something for Business Briefs? E-mail betsy@theleader news.com.
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