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lion; and 25% in St. Lucie at $4.15 million.
Furniture sales for May were up from the
previous month by 113% in Martin, 89% in
St. Lucie, and 49% in Indian River. For consumer
electronics, May recorded recoveries
from April of 68% in Martin, 48% in St.
Lucie, and 33% in Indian River. General
merchandise gains were much more modest
in all three counties.
ADAPT TO THRIVE
Doris Tillman, executive director of Main
Street Fort Pierce, said Jarvis and Muise
are poster children for how small retailers
adapted and thrived during the peak of
the pandemic store shutdowns.
“I was very lucky that I had a lot of these
channels set up before this happened,”
said Jarvis of Facebook events from private
shopping counseling to public group
events. “Selling on Facebook is an excellent
avenue.”
She had a website before the pandemic
hit, but she hired a company to conduct
an audit on her site and to help her rebuild
it “to make it more friendly for customers
to buy.”
“After I implemented free shipping and
local pickup, my sales in April increased
50% over January to March,” said Jarvis.
Her sales in May and June were up 20%
from April after the boutique was able
to open three days a week for in-person
shopping. After in-store shopping returned,
free shipping ended.
Jarvis, Muise, O’Connell and Descutner
all say they have a loyal following who
have helped them navigate through challenges
thrown at them by the pandemic.
But to a woman, each said that old-fashioned
customer service and attention
to a customer’s wants are still the most
important path to success, even if shopping
is online.
SHIFT TO ONLINE SEEN LASTING
There was no data other than anecdotal
for the shift for Treasure Coast retailers.
Huge national stores show an increased
reliance on e-commerce, a shift that business
analysts say is here to stay.
For the second quarter, which included
the height of business shutdowns and
stay-at-home practices, Walmart showed
an increase of 97% in online sales, and its
overall sales rose more than 9%, helped
along by a federal stimulus package that
has since run its course. Big stores like
Walmart and Target did not have to shutter
in March and April, but hours were
limited in our area.
Target’s sales rose 24% in the second
quarter, a record for the company. Samestore
digital sales were up 195%.
The boffo results for the big-box stores
could be worrisome for smaller retailers,
national analysts said. The draw to Target
and Walmart is their ability to offer customers
one-stop shopping for most if not
all purchases, presenting a challenge to
the smaller retailers that specialize.
Not all retailers made it through the
pandemic. Like the national chains that
announced cutting stores, other issues
contributed to the demise of local retailers,
such as not entering the pandemic in a
strong financial position. JCPenney, Pier 1
Imports, Stein Mart, Calico Corners, Brooks
Brothers, and J. Crew are closing all or
some of their stores in the United States.
City and county officials on the Treasure
Coast said they did not have a handle on
how many businesses including retailers
permanently closed during the time of the
COVID-19 effect that began in March. They
may have a better idea after businesses report
sales for tax purposes this fall — until
at least after business taxes are tallied this
fall — on how many businesses, including
retailers, closed for good since March
BERNIE WOODALL
Jacksonville-based Calico Corners is a small chain of stores that will not survive the pandemic. Its store in Vero Beach will close its doors once it sells its inventory
of deeply-discounted fabric, expected by the end of 2020.
/TCBusiness.com