R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press Business is booming at Sayklly’s Confectionery and Gifts in Escanaba, where owner Jim Kirby said this is the busiest time of year for assorted chocolate boxes. Many other local businesses also experience sales surges at Christmastime.

ESCANABA — Aside from stores in unusual circumstances, most area businesses polled reported that pre-Christmas sales in 2023 are comparable to numbers from last year. Those who have been operating for a while are confident that business will continue to rise as the holiday draws nearer.

At North Coast Apparel in Escanaba last week, Rachel Larsen said, “We just looked, and they’re literally like the same. And then next week it starts getting a lot busier… About Monday is when it’ll spike.”

Employee Rylee Lancour added that online sales at North Coast Apparel have shot up lately, and on Friday said that the store had made seven in-person sales between noon and 1 p.m. She expects the influx of orders to continue all the way through Christmas.

At Nyman Jewelers, a popular stop for gifts also in downtown Escanaba, Sue Parker said that they’ve been very busy, and not in an unprecedented fashion.

“I’d say it’s pretty darn neck and neck with last year,” Parker remarked.

At Treasure City in Manistique, owner Kathy Skok said, “Right now it’s about comparable to last year, running about the same. It’s been good… From now to Christmas it’ll pick up a little more.”

Trotter’s Floral on Superior Avenue in Gladstone is busy, according to Manager and Floral Designer Jesse LaRose. Even so, he noted, “Pre-Christmas numbers are a bit down from last year.” About a fifth of their business is done online, and uniquely, “The majority of our orders come in over the phone, actually,” LaRose said.

At Family Dollar in Gladstone, Store Manager Christopher Vadnais said that business usually picks up a little in the two weeks before Christmas as they run sales on toys. This year, however, Vadnais said that sales seem to be down a little bit compared to the 2022 season — not because there’s less foot traffic, but because the store hasn’t been sent as much inventory and there are fewer items to promote.

Not all stores traditionally see a lot of holiday business, though. At the Beaten Path, Jon Harris said that the majority of his business is done in the summertime, as the focus there is mainly on bicycles. He is, however, in the process of getting a website up and running, with the aim of increasing revenue in the off-season.

The Morrison Shop reported that most of their shoppers make personal purchases and that Christmastime has never really been as big as at other stores. The business is currently for sale, which adds an unusual element this year as much of their merchandise is on clearance.

This is L&M’s first holiday season in Escanaba, and some people are still checking out the new store for the first time, so there isn’t a metric to hold this year’s sales to, but Store Manager Jim Beauchamp says that pre-Christmas business has been “better than expected.” He mentioned that it’s hard to determine how much of those purchases may be gifts, though, given another important season: “It’s tough to compare in a store like ours, because we’re also a really big hunting store, too.”

Sayklly’s Confectionery and Gifts in Escanaba was full of customers last Friday. Owner Jim Kirby said that Christmastime is when they sell the most boxes of assorted chocolates. Staff members were like diligent elves, refilling shelves as candies flew into the hands of shoppers. Kirby said that he wasn’t able to report any numbers until the season was over, but estimated that they would be equal to or greater than those from last year.