Black Friday and Christmas Events Keep Local Stores Packed
Trevor Phipps
The Black Friday and Small Business Saturday shopping spree, often regarded as the kick-off for the Yuletide Christmas season, infiltrated Woodland Park and the Ute Pass this year with renewed vigor.
In the past, these events have often bypassed small communities like Woodland Park, but not in 2024.
In fact, local roads were packed, and most retail businesses experienced a good amount of traffic, according to preliminary reports. And then if the pre-Christmas spirit wasn’t enough, the region was saturated again the next two weekends as many partook in holiday festivities in the City Above the Clouds, such as the annual Christmas parade (Lights Above the Clouds), Breakfast with Santa and the Holiday Home Tour. In addition, the area’s festivities also included Yule Days in Green Mountain Falls and Gold Camp Christmas in the Cripple Creek/Victor area.
According to Merry Jo Larsen, the owner of The Cowhand store in downtown Woodland Park, business was slow before the Nov. election, but shopping activity picked up in recent weeks. She said her store, a staple in the community, has been frequented by many shoppers this year search of Christmas presents to purchase.
“We are seeing a lot of out-of-state people still,” Larsen said. “And that’s a good thing. It hasn’t been real big waves like in the summer, but it has been a steady flow of people in and out. They are looking and shopping too. For winter, it has been ok.
Other retailers in town have also reported good amounts of traffic this season. Most business owners in Woodland Park and surrounding areas say they benefited from the town being packed for holiday festivities.
According to Tanner Coy, the owner of Tweeds Fine Furnishings in Woodland Park, business has picked up significantly after the pre-election lull. He said that during the month of November, sales at Tweeds were up 20 percent over last year. In addition, the store’s sales experienced a 38 percent hike over last year during the first eight days of December.
Coy said that the recent uptick in traffic at his store has helped significantly, after their business incurred a rather slow year. “Things have really come roaring back,” Coy said. “It’s very clear that in Teller County there is a rapidly increasing consumer confidence and optimism in the market place. There is a very clear change in consumer sentiment that is equating to a big swing in the activity at the cash register.”
Even though Tweeds doesn’t offer Black Friday specials or deals, sales were still up during the holiday kick-off day. Coy said that Tweeds also did much better on Small Business Saturday, compared to recent years.
Coy partially credited this uptick in shopper activity to the flurry of local Yuletide events. “We opened 30 minutes early at Tweeds, we opened at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday (Dec. 7 the day of the Christmas Parade),” Coy said. “And we were out of parking spots by 9:24 a.m. It was great and that really was indicative of the whole weekend. We started out overrun with customers and it really never stopped. People really love Christmas in the mountains and that’s what we have been giving them.”
Chamber of Commerce Leads the Charge for Shopping Local
In order to prime people for the holiday shopping season, the Greater Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce launched a giant campaign starting on November 1 to influence people to shop local. Over the last month and a half, the chamber of commerce has put information in their Grapevine Newsletter and their website to push people to shop at small local businesses.
“Out of $100 spent locally, $68 of that stays within our community,” Chamber President Debbie Miller said. “So that is the real push we are making. If you have somebody that is hard to shop for, you can buy them something like an ice fishing trip. You can always go to one of the local shops and get a gift certificate. You can go to one of our local dining hubs and get a gift certificate. All of that money stays local.”
She said the chamber of commerce has tried hard this holiday season to stress the importance of supporting small, local businesses. “We have graphics on our website that say things like, ‘every time a merchant hears a bell ring, their heart sings,’” Miller said. “Because you are coming into their store. The crowds I thought have been good during the weekend when the town had the parade, and the holiday home tour, and the weather was perfect”
Miller and area business operators also want residents to check out local shops if they are still searching for last-minute Christmas gifts or unique Yuletide presents. “During this time of year, it is ‘make it or break it’ for some of these merchants,” Miller said. “So, we really want people to shop local. Sometimes you have to think outside of the box. Go to the Chamonix or the Edgewood and get a night’s stay for someone that they will enjoy.”
Besides Woodland Park, the holiday spirit also bombarded Green Mountain Falls for its annual Yule Days, peppered with a variety of events and even a fund-raiser for the town’s new equestrian rescue center (see related story). Cripple Creek and Victor had its annual Gold Camp Christmas festival, and down the Pass, several communities got a rare treat with the surprising concert tour of a “Winter’s Eve with David Arkenstone & Friends,” offering a rare mixture of New Age, Celtic, rock and holiday musical pageantry, rarely experienced in the Pikes Peak area.
