SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
'Tis the season for spoiling and spending, and Yellowknife retailers are hoping for big numbers in the final days of the holiday season.
Shiho Imoto, a barista at Javaroma, passes over a tall, foamy latte topped with whipped cream, sprinkles and caramel sauce. While the shop hasn't seen an increase in holiday shoppers, regulars are still coming by for their favourites - Lyndsay Herman/NNSL photo |
"We'll know more in January about how the 2012 shopping season went in Yellowknife," said Jason McEvoy, president of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce.
"Christmas Eve this year falls on a Monday, so we're hopeful people spend the weekend shopping locally and support Yellowknife business. Plus there is still Boxing Week after that. It's really after that you know and understand how the Christmas season went."
Kathy Hancock, manager of Headgear on Franklin Avenue, said the store has had steady traffic but it still has difficulty competing with the selection and prices available to online shoppers.
Hancock said the store strives to keep its prices comparable to Edmonton shops despite added shipping costs to the North, but the additional overhead and payroll make it extremely difficult to compete with online prices.
Doing well as holiday gifts are unique local items which can't be found online.
For instance, two of the great sellers this season at the Yellowknife Book Cellar are The Evolution of Canada's Arctic Ice Road: On Good Ice by Bill Braden and Old Town: A Photographic Journey Through Yellowknife's Defining Neighbourhood by Fran Hurcomb.
Erasmus Apparel, which specializes in Northern and Yellowknife-inspired designs, is also seeing strong sales for its first Christmas at its Franklin Avenue location.
"This is our first Christmas and it's been busy, pretty steady," said owner Sarah Erasmus.
"We've had a different item on sale each day and that has kept the traffic coming in pretty steadily."
Erasmus said people often come in looking for gifts that are representative of Yellowknife and show a desire to support local business.
Giant Mine, Con Mine and "I am from Yellowknife" graphics remain top sellers year-round, though the popular gift item of the day varies, said Erasmus. She added thermals have been popular due to the cold weather.
Hancock said the free parking granted by the City of Yellowknife for the rest of the month has helped encourage shopping in the downtown core, because parking is often a top complaint among customers.
"I mean, there's no cost to park at Wal-Mart or Mark's Work Warehouse, any of those big department stores," she said.
Hancock added that she'd like to see Christmas events return to the downtown shopping district during business hours to bring traffic back to the retailers.
