Durango streets were packed in the days before Christmas, and the shopping season seemed to linger after the holiday last week.
Many shoppers looking for last-minute or belated gifts filled stores and took advantage of free parking downtown Thursday.
Retailers described the Christmas shopping season as strong and improved from last year.
Sales at Maria’s Bookshop were up 7 percent for the month by mid-December from the same holiday shopping period last year.
“We had a great December,” said Bobbi Maiers, Maria’s community relations manager. “It was rocking in here until 5 p.m. Christmas Eve.”
Noel Night on Dec. 6 drove shoppers downtown, retailers said. The event has continued to grow and now provides a noticeable impact on the bottom line. The event is designed to encourage local shopping after the Black Friday buzz has worn off for national retailers.
“Noel Night was a huge boost,” Maiers said.
At Durango Coffee Co., many were still looking to buy gifts Thursday.
“Downtown’s been good and busy,” owner Tim Wheeler said.
Thanksgiving came late this year, on Nov. 28, compressing the holiday shopping season. Bitter cold in early December also didn’t help. But as Christmas grew closer, the weather warmed, encouraging shoppers to stroll down Main Avenue, Wheeler said.
“The last week before Christmas, that’s always a crunch time, and it’s always surprising how busy it is,” he said.
At Season’s Rotisserie & Grill, sales were up about 14 percent for the month through Christmas, said Karen Barger, co-owner of the fine-dining restaurant.
Karyn Gabaldon of Karyn Gabaldon Fine Arts, a Main Avenue gallery, also noticed an uptick in business. Like others, she credited free parking downtown.
“I think the free parking helped,” she said.
Today is the last day of free parking downtown as the city of Durango completes a project to replace 1,200 parking meters. While short-lived, the free parking appeared to make a difference, retailers said.
“We had an awful lot of local traffic,” said Dennis Johnson, owner of Stuart’s, a fine-clothing retailer.
Johnson said sales at Stuart’s were running about even with last year.
Many retailers are expecting increases when they do their books at month’s end. If retailers see higher sales, as seems likely, it will continue a recent trend.
Sales-tax collections in the city of Durango rose 5.7 percent through November compared with 2012. The last two months, reflecting sales in August and September, saw even sharper increases.
cslothower@durangoherald.com
