SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) — Holiday shopping is in full swing across the nation, and small business owners in downtown Savannah said they have not seen a boost in sale.
We spoke to Tonya Rintye, co-owner of ‘Locally Made Savannah’ and she told News 3 that she's feeling what a lot of downtown small businesses are feeling this holiday season, disappointed.
“Us, along with all the artists, have actually definitely felt this crunch right now and everyone's sales have been down,” Rintye said. “So even with tourists coming in, we haven't been seeing the sales numbers like we have in the two years past."
The business sits on the west-end of Broughton Street and houses a collective of over 200 local artisans. She said sales are down 10% compared to last year.
“Those big websites and big online things, they can mass produce things so much more cheaply than in an artisan like a small mom and pop business,” Rintye said. “So, it is very hard. We're seeing a huge shift in that. I don't know if it's because of the economy or if people don't want to go out or what.”
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With less than 20 days until Christmas and less than 25 days until the new year, we asked Rintye if they thought that they would be able to redeem themselves.
“We will be slow probably mid-December through January and February,” Rintye said. “So really right now, November, December sales for not only us but for all our artisans and really a lot of the local restaurants and other stores downtown and really throughout the city rely on Christmas sales, holiday sales to get you through those January and February months.”
She added, “…people telling us that they can get things cheaper, and you absolutely can. but what is it going to happen when all the mom and pops are out of business and all the small businesses are out of business… and we do provide jobs in the community, and we do provide that community support.”