WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — WEST PALM BEACH, FLA. — The holiday shopping season is winding down as last-minute shoppers finalize their purchases during the hunt for the perfect gift.
Several store owners in the Northwood Village of West Palm Beach spent Christmas Eve standing ready to assist customers before the holiday.
Many businesses are still on the rebound after enduring the shutdown orders during the spring.
However, the push to support locally owned retailers has been a driving force behind the extra holiday foot traffic.
“We pull together and we help each other,” said Diane McKinnie, owner of Diane’s Boutique. “We're like a family and that’s what helps Northwood Village.”
According to the National Retail Federation, independent and privately held retail businesses account for about 95 percent of the retail industry.
Economists have encouraged companies to get creative and stay innovative in order to adapt to the fast-changing landscape in the retail sector.
The merchants of Northwood Village have noticed a shift in shoppers rallying behind their local businesses this holiday season.
“Once people start getting a taste of what the village is and like what, how our shops are, I think people will come back,” said Will Davis, owner of Day by Day Shoppe.
NRF defines the holiday season as November 1 through December 31 and has forecast that sales will increase between 3.6 percent and 5.2 percent over 2019 to a total between $755.3 billion and $766.7 billion.
“You know, we've been truly blessed this holiday season,” said Davis. “A lot of people have come out to support small businesses like ours.”
