North Valley merchants' and restaurateurs' spirits are mostly good going into the holiday season this year, buoyed by sales activity over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Business owners who responded this week to queries by the Idaho Mountain Express and the Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau said sales activity was the same or better than last year.
Formula Sports in Ketchum, which was open every day last week, saw brisk activity, said owner Bob Gordon.
"It was very positive," he said Monday. "People seemed to be in high spirits, and they were shopping, which made us happy."
Business was up from last year's Thanksgiving weekend, he said.
"November itself has been very good," he said. "And we're coming off a record summer."
What's the secret of his success?
"Superior management and a good-looking owner," he said.
Gordon is pinning hopes on a bang-up Christmas season, and is encouraged by the snow and new flights that will bring in visitors.
"Things look very positive," he said. "We're very fortunate. I call it good karma."
An informal phone survey conducted Monday morning by the chamber largely reflected Gordon's mood.
Out of 23 retailers who responded to the survey, 10 said business was better than last year's Thanksgiving weekend, five said business was down, and eight said it was the same.
"(They) said there were fewer people, but they spent well," said Ellen Gillespie, the chamber's public relations coordinator. "It wasn't the number of bodies but the number of transactions."
Gillespie said Gallery Walk eked out a positive result, according to merchants.
"It was nothing overwhelming, but it was steady, and people were buying," she said.
Weather contributed to business, for better or for worse, Gillespie said.
The chamber talked to a few ski-rental businesses, with mixed results.
"One said the lack of snow hurt them. Another said it was rocking," she said.
Weather was mild on Thanksgiving, but a storm system moved in late Sunday night.
"We're happy to see that Sun Valley (ski area) saw some good numbers," Gillespie said. "The numbers were down from last year, but not that much. Numbers held up even though the snow wasn't as good."
Tom Nickel, owner of the Sawtooth Club and Roosevelt Tavern, both in Ketchum, said the fact that other ski resorts weren't open yet might have helped bring in business.
"Maybe this is one of those times when snow-making bailed us out," he said.
Nickel said business was up "a little bit" at both restaurants.
"We're very pleased with that," he said. "We had less snow so I thought there was a chance fewer people would come up."
