South Queens down, North Queens up

Businesses in South Queens saw a downturn in sales to varying degrees, from down a little bit to ‘dismal’, while North Queens fared better.

Don MacKenzie at Liverpool Home Hardware says he saw a little bit of a drop in his business, but remains confident it will come around. “I’ve been through these before. Probably in six to nine months we’ll start to see improvements,” he says.

Independent retailers had a bit tougher time managing the downturn.

Warren Wagner, owner and manager of Memory Lane gives a rough estimate of sales dipping 30 per cent from last year.

Brian Mitchell, manager of Liverpool Value Plus also says the season was not a strong one for his store. “It’s a little discouraging for small town independent businesses,” he says.

All storeowners say the economy in general is a primary reason, but it isn’t the only one. “We’re not happy with the season, but there are a lot of factors involved,” says Mitchell. “I think with the economic situation, the lobster fishery and Bowater shutting down, our biggest problem is people traveling out of town and not supporting local businesses.” “Shoppers headed for Bridgewater first thing,” says Wagner.

Wagner and MacKenzie also mentioned the AbitibiBowater shutdown.

MacKenzie says consumers also watched their spending more closely than in the past, which would contribute to lower sales.

The one example of going against the trend may be in North Queens. According to Alan Mansfield, manager of NF Douglas Hardware Store in Caledonia, they did quite well this season. “Actually it was better than last year,” he says.

He credits the ‘shop local’ initiative the stores collaborated on. They held a contest, with weekly draws and one large draw at the end. NF Douglas also held their annual Christmas party to thank their customers for their year. “We’re one of the lucky ones, I guess,” he says.

All three South Queens retailers say the economy needs to improve to bring business back, along with other ideas.

Mitchell says getting the misconception prices are higher in this area out of people’s minds would help. He says people head out to the bigger areas looking for deals, when many times the price is similar or less at home. “You have to try your local businesses first, before you travel all these miles.”

MacKenzie adds what might help boost the economy in the area is bringing in those small independents, which boost employment and spending power. “A stronger employment sector in our area economy. If we could attract some small to medium size businesses that would help.”