Maybe the economy is getting better? December retail sales surge

I keep hearing that the economy is getting better...

I've also been wondering how Walnut Creek's retail scene did this holiday season.  Don't have any specifics on how Walnut Creek itself did, but here's a report from the Washington Post that says that retailers enjoyed a better-than-expected holiday season "as rising consumer confidence" and last-minute shopping sprees pushed sales higher in December. 


The Post cites a report from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), a trade group that found that, in looking at three dozen of the country's biggest chains, sales at established stores increased an average of 2.8 percent in December from a year ago. And sales for the last two months of the year jumped 1.8 percent, compared with a record 5.6 percent drop in 2008--marking the strongest holiday performance in three years. The ICSC had forecast only a 1 percent increase.

Several retailers with locations in Walnut Creek enjoyed a better-than-expected season. Macy's sales rose 1 percent in December, helped by strong online sales. Nordstrom Inc. is also in this list, with a key sales figure rising 7.4 percent.


Oh, and even though it hasn't come to Walnut Creek yet, Dallas-based retailer Neiman Marcus saw sales rise 4.5 percent in December, says Business Week.

Alas, coming soon: another empty downtown storefront with Pottery Barn Kids closing

Pottery Barn Kids is closing its Walnut Creek store, between the Apple Store and Barnes and Noble on South Main Street as of January 17.

A sign in the window said the store will be closed permanently as of Sunday, January 17. Other Pottery Barn Kids locations in the Bay Area in the Stoneridge Shopping Center in Pleasanton and in the Village at Corte Madera.

In other downtown retail news ...

Or, rather, I have a question.

Has anyone shopped at the Eco Shoppe? It's part of the same company that operates the Vitamin Shoppe next door in Olympic Place.

Olympic Place, and this corner of Mt. Diablo Boulevard and Locust Street have proven to be tricky locations for retailers, despite the presence of the movie theater. Remember Bombay Company, which closed last fall?

I'm pretty sure the Eco Shoppe has had 50-percent off signs in its window ever since it opened. It sells eco-friendly home furnishings, such as bedding, clothing, baby supplies, personal care products, and books and gifts. I've never been in. Maybe I should check it out, and maybe it has nice stuff.

Just wondering.

Waiting for their Air Jordans outside Nordstrom

The scene outside Nordstrom in Broadway Plaza just before the store opened at 8 a.m. Wednesday:

About 20 people, huddled in jackets, mittens, hats, waiting, waiting, waiting to get inside and purchase a limited number of new-model Nike Air Jordan Space Jam Retro basketball shoes.

The 50 pairs of $175 shoes were to go on sale Wednesday morning at Nordstrom, according to the Contra Costa Times. One gentleman, who had the coveted spot at the front of the line, said he had arrived 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Such dedication for these sports/Michael Jordan fans! I hope this guy and all the others who had reportedly been standing in line, at least since Tuesday evening, will get what they want.

And, hey, Michael Jordan, is one very, very rich and transformative sports icon who can still sell products, unlike another less fortunate sports great who has recently fallen into the pits of scandal! But last I heard, Nike was still sticking by you know who.

Walnut Creek "mobility" gripe No. 1: Mt. Diablo Boulevard holiday shopping traffic

This photo was snapped while I was stuck in traffic along Mt. Diablo Boulevard late this afternoon. There was the slow crawl from west of California Boulevard to Main Street and beyond...

Okay, I really shouldn't moan about the traffic.

Isn't all this traffic, in some ways, a good thing?

It may mean that people are crowding into downtown Walnut Creek, which is, last I heard, still one of the leading retail destinations in the United States. (That is, according to some of those shopping center/retail reports I occassionaly come across.)

People come to Walnut Creek to browse the stores, buy stuff, eat out, and ultimately--our city and business leaders hope--spend $$$.

Would it be better if our main thoroughfares were deserted this time of year?

I guess not...

It will be interesting to see the retail numbers for the final quarter of 2009. Judging by my various recent excursions downtown, including this afternoon's traffic jam, people are crowding into downtown Walnut Creek this holiday season. And, presumably, they are spending money. But are they spending like it's 2006, or are they spending like the sad, depressed Christmas season of 2008? Are they being extravagent? Or, are they being thrifty?

It will, indeed, be interesting to see those numbers...

One clever convenience in this hectic shopping time

Are you out and about today shopping? I just had to pick up some last-minute things--sparkling wine for a party, and, psst, something to go with my husband's present. I went to Cost Plus in Walnut Creek, and discovered these shopping baskets that have little wheels on them.

An employee said they arrived in the store about three weeks ago. You can either carry them around like regular shopping baskets, by hand or with the handles draped over your arm. Or, if the basket starts to get heavy with, say, wine bottles, you call pull out another handle that turns them into carriers, which you can wheel around, similar to the way you pull along rolling suitcases or backpacks.

Wish I had been the guy or gal who came up with this simple but clever idea and patented it!

Walnut Creek schools send out their condolences to the family of the man killed in Friday's Half Moon Bay boating accident

A note went out yesterday from the principals of Walnut Creek Intermediate and Walnut Heights Elementary schools to the Runte family of Walnut Creek. Matthew Runte, 49, of Walnut Creek was identified as the man whose boat capsized Friday evening in rough waters off Half Moon Bay.

Bay City News Service reports that Runte was one of two men on a 34-foot sailboat that overturned at about 4:25 p.m. The Coast Guard immediately responded to the accident and rescued Runte's shipmate. A Coast Guard helicopter spotted Runte in the water about 5:37 p.m. He was pulled from the water by a harbor patrol, administered CPR, and taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Walnut Heights and Walnut Creek Intermediate communities would like to extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the Runte family in the loss of their beloved husband and father last week in a boating accident off of the San Mateo coast. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Runte family and friends.

When we receive the specifics about the service, we will pass this information on to our school communities.

Sincerely,
Susan Drews, Principal, Walnut Heights
Kevin Collins, Principal, Walnut Creek Intermediate