Holiday retail season a mixed bag for downtown businesses

The holiday shopping season featured mixed results for some downtown businesses in Belleville and their outlooks on what’s to come this year also vary.

Quinte News spoke with three downtown retailers.

Tom Lafferty of Lafferty’s Crossings says they had a great year and were quite busy from mid-November through the end of the year as people emerged from the pandemic

While inflation, higher interest rates and recession talk persist, Lafferty says his menswear business has been around for 45 years and he doesn’t expect to be going anywhere.

“I think a lot of the recession and inflation thing, as predicted by the government and by the media, I think it’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy a little bit. If they talk it up more then people will pull back in a little bit. We’re not seeing anything on the ground here yet that would say that’s happening. We’re pretty comfortable with the way everything’s going.”

Darla Miller of women’s clothing boutique That Special Touch also told Quinte News that sales were on par with most other years.

Both Miller, whose business has been in downtown Belleville for almost 30 years and Lafferty say they’ve weathered economic storms before.

Miller says the retail sector will survive but it will be up to business owners to adapt.

“And I think if you look at all of those ups and downs in any industry, that determines your outlook. And if your outlook is I’m not gonna make it, I can’t do this, we can’t do this, our company can’t do this, then you get into that negativity and that’s not my mindset. My mindset is we move forward and we move on.”

However, Kathryn Brown of Kate’s Kitchen says it was a slower holiday season for her business as people were not spending as much money and making smaller purchases.

She says some businesses may need help to survive.

She is hoping the BIA will step up with some new ideas to drive tourism to the downtown this year but feels that isn’t happening at this point.

“I can speak from experience, the focus really should be on what do we do to drive tourism? What are we gonna do that’s different than what we’ve tried before? You know, some things work really, really well. Some things don’t. But I’m not seeing or hearing a pivot. At this point you just focus on, you know, reducing your prices to try and sell off some of your inventory.”

Kate’s Kitchen, which features kitchen supplies, bakeware and unique decor, has been in business for 7 1/2 years and is closing March 31.