Thanksgiving has come and gone and so has the first snow, so it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (and Chanukah and Solstice and even Saturnalia). So, with the first big weekend of the holiday shopping season officially behind us, we asked some of the Capitol Hill retailers how that first weekend went, and what they are expecting in the weeks to come.
Judging from the responses, they are expecting a good year.
Everyday Music, 112 Broadway E., had a good first weekend, 7 percent over last year, according to store manager David Miranda. Everyday Music sells new and used compact discs, movies and music videos on DVD and VHS tape and LPs. It also handles a variety of accessories for the mainline products.
"I'm hoping people will come out earlier," Miranda said, explaining that last year, things were pretty dead sales-wise until the last two weeks before Christmas. He said there have been several popular new music releases and he is cautiously optimistic about the upcoming season.
"If the [sales] percentages go up, I'm going to be very, very happy," Miranda said.
Red Light Clothing Exchange, 312 Broadway E., handles vintage and new clothing, hats, belts and other clothing accessories and even has a year-round costume shop.
The Thanksgiving weekend was "a lot better than the last couple of weekends in November," said Dave Baldwin, Red Light store manager. He said things are usually pretty slow in November, but "we are hoping for a good holiday season."
Vintage clothing is not everyone's idea of appropriate gifts, since giving used clothing may seem a bit tacky, but the shop has a solid line of new clothing, and the accessory line is new.
Baldwin said the costume part of the shop usually does well at this time of year. People seem to like "theme" Christmas parties, calling for such things as 1960s clothing. He said a lot of people have fancy costume parties for New Year's, too.
"Everything I have read says the economy is strong," Baldwin said. "I hope it will draw people up the hill."
Mud Bay, the folks who sell health food for dogs and cats, have two Capitol Hill outlets; at 321 E. Pine St., on the corner of Bellevue Avenue, and just west of Broadway at 815 E. Thomas St.
"We had a really big [weekend] until the rain hit us," said Jonelle Kelly, who works in the East Pine Street store. She said the shopping area the store is in generates a lot of walk-in business. Although the store is quite small, it is able to call on the resources of the larger Broadway store.
"We have the two Capitol Hill stores, so we do a lot of sending back and forth," Kelly said. Besides the special formula pet food (no preservatives or by-products) the shop sells scratching posts, pet beds, pet toys and treats.
Area 51, 401 E. Pine St., offers unusual home furnishings not readily available elsewhere.
"I think it looks like a good flow," said Jason Hallman, Area 51 proprietor. He said the people who came into the store seemed to be excited and in a gift-giving mood.
"It was a good weekend, considering the weather," Hallman said.
Michael Wells, of Bailey-Coy Books, 414 Broadway E., was not sure what to make of the weekend.
"It's hard for me to tell," Wells said. "We had a solid Friday, twice [the sales of] last year." But the weather will have a great influence on shoppers, just as it did this weekend.
"I am not anticipating a glorious holiday season," Wells said.
However, he is looking forward to seeing how all the development in the Broadway area is going to affect business next year. He has great hopes for the new developments improving the business atmosphere of Capitol Hill.
Ian, 401 E. Pine Street (yes, it is the same address as Area 51), is a sportswear retailer at Bellevue and Pine. Josh Meacham, the general manager, was very enthusiastic.
"It was a great weekend," Meacham said. "Everybody seems in good moods and ready to shop." He expects that to translate to a great holiday season.
He said Ian sells quality sportswear that is not commonly available elsewhere. His customers are looking for something a little different, and showed it this weekend.
"People are excited about what is in the stores," he said.
On the other end of the spectrum is Peacock Custom Framing, 605 Broadway E. The shop offers expert custom framing and has a wide variety of framed photographs and art reproductions for sale. Owner Louis Lewis was not in an enthusiastic mood.
"Most people like to do their shopping at the malls," Lewis said. Especially in the multi-family residential areas of Capitol Hill, Lewis said they are mostly single people or childless couples who like to get out of town for the holidays.
"I don't expect a rush of people to come in and buy custom frames," he said with a wide smile and a laugh. He added that framed pictures do make great gifts. He said you can buy just one and present it to several people in the same family.[[In-content Ad]]
