As leaves begin turning, many local businesses also find themselves changing their merchandise to prepare for fall and winter.
Labor Day weekend served as a metamorphosis for inventories, and three downtown retailers said summer sales were higher.
This is consistent with Durango’s Central Business District overall sales, based on sales-tax receipts from May through July. August figures are not yet available. Central business sales-tax collections for May through July 2013 came in at $1,751,017 – an 8.5 percent increase from the $1,613,713 collected for the same three months last year.
Tim Walsworth, executive director of the Durango Business Improvement District, said several downtown businesses he spoke with had profitable summers, many of them increasing their sales several percentage points when comparing numbers with the same time last year.
John Wells, who sits on the board for the Durango Business Improvement District, mentioned an overall influx of revenues regarding various taxes.
“We feel it has been a good year so far and look forward to a fun and busy fall season as well,” Wells said.
Steve Swisher, manager and partner of Brown’s Shoe Fit Co., is a veteran of Durango’s retail scene. The shoe store has been operating for 35 years, and Swisher has been around to see most of the company’s growth.
Swisher said Labor Day sales were up 5 percent compared with the same period last year.
“Labor Day weekend is always a good business for me,” he said.
Durango’s retailers’ adaptations to meet distinct seasonal needs is clear on the shelves at Brown’s
“Durango loves boots,” Swisher said. “Our boot business in September, October and all the way through the winter is really a big part of our business.”
Those browsing the store will find a variety of summer sandals marked with a red “sale” sign.
The businesses’ employees also said a lot of their winter sales will depend on autumn weather.
Jill Badalati is preparing for her first winter as the newest owner of Silk Sparrow on Main Avenue. She also said her business had a financially successful Labor Day weekend. The sale was a precursor in her shift from summer to winter apparel.
Though she declined to give specific numbers on summer sales, she did say boutique sales exceeded her goal. Badalati said she hopes sales remain consistent during winter.
Pine Needle Mountaineering, which has been around 37 years, also recently parted ways with most of its summer merchandise. The outdoor store’s end-of-season sale was up about 2 percent compared with the same sale last year, said manager and co-owner Ashley Gonnella, who has been overseeing the store for nearly a year.
For the store, which primary sells outdoor sporting equipment and clothing, the seasonal merchandise switch is all a part of supply-and-demand.
In the summer, the store primarily sells backpacking and camping gear. In the winter, skis and soft-shell jackets are popular. Clothing and casual sportswear is also sold year-round. Both Badalati and Swisher said they primarily cater to locals, though they don’t disregard tourists. For Gonnella, it depends on the season.
“The majority of our sales in the summer are to tourists,” she said. “And the majority of our sales in the winter are to locals.”
Gonnella and her fellow retailers remain hopeful winter months will be profitable.
“It seems that everyone is pretty optimistic for a big year,” she said.
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
