MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Businesses in downtown Bradenton are getting into the Christmas spirit, hoping seasonal events will bring in more customers after what they say has been a slow couple of months for sales.
What You Need To Know
- Shops say they are experiencing a slow couple of months, and are hopeful that seasonal events will help bring them more money
- Recent government shutdown, uncertainty cited as reasons for people shopping and spending less
- The Holiday Shop Crawl event will be going on until Dec. 15. If customers visit all 13 retailers, they’ll be eligible to win a prize
Finding beauty in vintage items is an art to Carolyn Nees.
She is the owner of The Vintage Vine Market in Bradenton. The store opened in 2023 in Bradenton’s historic district.
But recently, she said business has been slow.
“You know, we’re probably year-over-year off about 25%,” she said.
She hopes to see a bump in sales by participating in local events like the “Holiday Shop Crawl.” Its purpose is to encourage people to buy local at 13 vendor shops in Manatee County.
“We’re hoping to, kind of as a community, as colleagues, try to introduce each other’s customers and cross-shop,” she explained.
Dan Yonko with the Manatee Chamber of Commerce spoke about how local events help bring people into businesses, and he explained some reasons why shops might be experiencing a dip in foot traffic.
“I think people are just — there’s a lot of uncertainty with the economy and, you know, just coming out of the government shutdown. So I think now that the government’s reopened, people are going to have a little bit more sense of security,” he said.
Yonko said they’re also seeing shops get creative.
“A lot of people are doing bundles and specials. One of the things we at the chamber do is help promote local businesses. Small businesses are the heart of our community,” he said.
For Nees, her biggest challenges came after last year’s hurricanes.
“This has been a difficult season for the community. And we recognize that our customers are going through some difficulties as well,” she said.
News hopes the local events this holiday season help her bounce back — and with community support, downtown businesses will benefit.
The Holiday Shop Crawl event will be going on until Dec. 15. If customers visit all 13 retailers, they’ll be eligible to win a prize.
