Mountain Brook retailers expect strong holiday sales despite COVID-19

COVID-19 hasn’t gone away, and a fear of the virus may linger among some potential shoppers.

However, several Mountain Brook retailers told Village Living they are bullish on their holiday prospects.

“Business has picked up,” said Brenda Meadows, owner of The Lingerie Shoppe.

“I’m feeling very optimistic about shopping in general and also about the holidays,” she said.

“I foresee it being a great season and a great year,” said Wesley Lassen, owner of The Cook Store. “Business is great.”

Radcliff Menge — founder of clothing retailer Tom Beckbe — said he and his wife, Mary Menge, “feel great” about working the first holiday season in their new Mountain Brook Village flagship store.

“We’ve already had a great turnout for folks shopping for a Christmas present,” Menge said.

“We’re pretty confident people are anxious to buy and shop and get out,” said Laura Ashford Gessert, one of the operators of Henhouse Antiques.

“I think people are ready to celebrate, and we hope they are ready to buy,” said Gessert’s partner, Libby Hill McGowan.

In early November, Gessert and McGowan were eagerly awaiting delivery of a 40-foot container shipment from England with English, French and Italian furniture and accessories for sale during the holidays.

“I don’t 100% know, but I certainly sense that it will be a lot closer to normal than it was last year,” said Ricky Bromberg, president of Bromberg’s jewelers, referring to the effects of the pandemic.

At press time, the pandemic seemed to be waning in Birmingham and the state of Alabama, at least temporarily.

“I’m not an expert on it, but things seem to be looking better ... and I think people have confidence and are more confident in getting out,” Bromberg said.

Some of the merchants said the COVID-19 threat seems to be having a reduced impact on shoppers.

“I feel there is a much more relaxed feeling now about it,” Meadows said. “Very few people are coming in wearing masks.”

However, Meadows said she and her staff are happy to wear masks if it makes a customer feel safer.

“There are definitely still people who come in with a mask,” said Lassen, who said she and her staff also strive to accommodate all of their customers.

“We do whatever our customer wants us to do,” she said.

Lassen said she’s also done everything she can to make The Cook Store safe, including the installation of air purifiers.

“We feel it’s a pretty safe environment,” she said.

Many U.S. retailers have also experienced supply chain disruptions during the pandemic, and those disruptions continue.

“Supply chains have been a challenge for everyone,” Menge said. “That said, our team has done a great job of making sure our shelves will be fully stocked right up to Christmas Eve.”

Supply chains are “evidently going to be an issue until the first of the year,” Meadows said.

“We are just not getting all of our merchandise,” she said, citing undergarments such as bras and panties as a prime example.

Manufacturers cannot get all of the fabrics and pieces they need, Meadows said.

Lassen has faced some supply chain issues in the last two months, though some of those problems were not COVID related.

Overall, she said she’s been “very fortunate” in having almost all of the merchandise she wants.

That said, Lassen said she was using social media to urge customers to shop early.

“We’re still nervous about what we can get as we get closer to the holiday,” he said.