Season of cautious optimism

With the holiday shopping season near, retailers in the Yuba-Sutter area are saying "cautious optimism" almost as much as they'll be saying "Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays."

Though no one's likely to mistake shopping trends this year for a carefree spree, business owners said their sense is that consumers believe the worst of the economic downturn is in the rearview mirror, and it's time to open up the wallets again.

Just not too much, and not too quickly.

"We would love to be terribly optimistic, but we have to take it day by day," said Tracy Schellner, owner of D Street Mercantile in downtown Marysville. "We may be seeing fewer customers, but the ones we're seeing are shopping, spending customers."

Lois Chick, owner of Chick's Fine Gifts in downtown Marysville, said she's trying to be gentle in her marketing and not push Christmas sales until after Thanksgiving.

"Shoppers are well aware we're not out of the woods yet," she said. "They're going to be buying much more cautiously."

But she and Schellner both pointed out buying of any kind is better than the alternative. With both local stores and larger chains such as Mervyns and Gottschalks closing in the last year, retail's tough haul is obvious.

Still, Yuba Sutter Mall marketing manager Junell Johnson said she's encouraged because every in-mall kiosk is rented for the holidays, and there are few empty storefronts.

"You've got the temporary stores starting to move in now," she said. "It's not quite the same mix in the mall, but we don't have this big huge empty space where Gottschalks was, and that's great," she said of Forever 21, which bought the bankrupt store's site and moved in over the summer.

The partners in another new store at the mall said they're hopeful the holiday shopping season will give them a boost.

Noel's Gifts, which until last month operated as a seasonal store for several different craft vendors at the mall, is now an ongoing store hosting trinkets and items by those same vendors, letting Noel Costa and LaVonne Edwards of Marysville be their sales staff.

Edwards said economy or not, she expects sales to be strong, as they have grown every year since she and Costa first set up temporary shop years ago.

"People don't forget Mom and Dad and the kids," Edwards said. "Even if they're maybe not spending as much."

If the holiday season and the store's colorful displays pull enough shoppers in, she said, they'll return when the store gears up for Valentine's Day, Easter and other holidays.

Still, the mall was fairly quiet Monday afternoon, with many people browsing or doing mall-walking exercises.

Johnson said Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when the holiday shopping season traditionally begins, will prove an interesting barometer for this year's sales.

JCPenney and Sears are planning 4 a.m. openings, she said, while the rest of the mall will open at 6 a.m.

Several other large retailers, such as Target and Walmart, are also planning early openings that day.

Managers and store owners may hope many shoppers are like Gloria Boucher of Oroville, who was shopping at Yuba Sutter Mall on Monday.

"I spend the same amount every year," she said, about $100 per person. "The economy's not going to make a difference to me."

But don't count on her being among the masses on a chilly Nov. 27 morning.

"I'm just about done with my shopping," she said, beaming. "This is about as late as I've ever been."

Contact Appeal reporter Ben van der Meer at 749-4709 or bva ndermeer@appealdemocrat.com