SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Online shopping may be on the rise, but holiday shopping still makes for a busy December for Yellowknife retailers.

Rebecca Birch, who owns Rebecca's Flowers (Grower Direct) with her husband Richard Birch, displays centerpieces ready for delivery. - Lyndsay Herman/NNSL photo

"It has been really busy already," said Bijoux Boutique owner Jill Groenewegan. "People started shopping for Christmas around the first of September."

While the economy may only be improving marginally, this year has an air of optimism about it.

Colliers International predicts December retail sales to increase nationally by 2.47 per cent over 2012, in its 2013 Fall Retail Report and Forecast. The small increase is a comfort to many as last year Canada saw a decrease of almost 3.6 per cent in retail sales in December.

Ogre's Lair Family Game Shop owner James Croizier said being a retailer in Yellowknife is all about adapting.

"If a retailer has been around for years, it's an indication that they must be doing something right," Croizier said. "A lot of people ignore the issue of online shopping, but that's to their own detriment and eventually it could put someone out of business. You have to compete with online options. Some people still think they can charge whatever they want because you're stuck here, but you're not stuck here."

Croizier said cheaper flights and year-round access to the South on the Deh Cho Bridge means Edmonton and other major cities are closer to customers than ever before.

He added ordering from afar has always been a part of the North, and because of that, he thinks Northerners are more likely to shop online than transplanted Southerners who have made the North home.

"When people come from down South, they grew up with a culture of shopping in stores," said Croizier. "If you're from the North, there's always been shopping online or mail order. You always had to order something by phone or by mail because retail options were never there."

His approach to circumventing the selection and prices of the internet is to keep as wide a selection of products in house as he can.

Taking inspiration from Wal-Mart's model, he says the variety means that whoever comes into the store is more likely to find something they like than if he kept just a few products on hand, even if that business model does mean a higher cost for the owner.

Judy McNicol, owner of Iceblink, said Black Friday weekend was when she noticed browsers turning into buyers, some for gifts and some for indulgence.

"A lot of people do what I always do; they go shopping for other people, but always find something for themselves."

Christmas decorations mean a boost for Yellowknife's florists as well.

Since orders come in throughout the month of December, it's not as crazy as Valentines Day, said Rebecca Birth of Rebecca's Flowers, but there is a steady call for centrepieces and poinsettias, with the intricacies of centrepieces being the most time consuming.

Tracy Heslep, Flowers North co-owners said the holidays are "absolutely" ones of the busiest times of the year, with orders starting out with poinsettas and workplace gifts early in December, then shifting to centrepieces closer to Christmas and around large holiday events.

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