Eureka Retailers Hope for Bright Christmas

The retailers of Eureka Springs are in the stretch. For the past decade, they’ve been trying to stretch the tourism season through Christmas, basically making the Carroll County town a year-round destination.

Ten years ago, the tourism season in Eureka ran from April through October. Many retailers would close their shops and move away for the winter. But no more. Most of the shops in Eureka have remained open for the holiday season. Still, a heavy snowstorm could throw a wet blanket on retail sales. It’s difficult for tourists and shoppers to drive through the mountains from nearby cities if there’s snow or ice on the highways.

When interviewed on Dec. 4, upscale retailers said the season looked good so far.

“It’s better this year than last year, probably 20 to 30 percent better,” said Rebecca Smallwood, manager of 83 Spring St., a gallery devoted entirely to the art of Mark Hopkins, a part-time Eureka resident who primarily does bronze sculptures.

Smallwood said the gallery is selling more large pieces than usual. It has 10 of Hopkins’ life-sized sculptures in stock, including an $18,000 piece called Fishing Hole.

“The city of Edmond, Okla., bought one of these,” Smallwood said of Fishing Hole, which depicts a boy with fishing pole on a tree limb fishing in a cluster of lily pads. “People are very much interested in life-size this year.”

The gallery also has an 11-foot-tall moose sculpture for sale, but it’s on loan to a state park in Colorado.

The shop is owned by Jim Sanders, who also owns three other stores in the same stretch of Spring Street: The Magic Animal, Gumption Gallery and Saucy Sittin Place.

Other shopkeepers said sales were a bit out of whack in November but seemed to be back on track in early December.

November started out better than usual, took a downturn near the end of the month (when sales are normally good), then picked up again in early December, said Rose Stone, a saleswoman at Emerald Forest Sport and Adventure Clothing.

“We’ve had people in from Michigan and Maine, from all over Oklahoma and Texas,” Stone said.

The store has been in the same Spring Street location for 31 years. Owned by Richard and Darlene Schrum of Eureka Springs, Emerald Forest sells men’s and women’s clothing, lamps and sculptures. Stone said hot selling lines have been Woolrich and Tommy Bahama clothing for men, and Rafaella and David Brooks for women.

“Our Woolrich has been flying out of here with the cold weather,” she said.

“The summer was a little weak over here, weekdays especially,” Richard Schrum said. “The fall looks like it’s doing much stronger.”

Schrum said a combination of Christmas promotions by the city (including a Dec. 2 parade) and cold weather seemed to help boost sales.

“This year, it didn’t even get cold until November,” Schrum said. “When it’s 75 or 80 degrees, people don’t want to try on coats and sweaters, but when it cools down, it gets them in the mood.”

Angela Smith, manager of Delhia Dreams, said sales at the gift shop seemed to increase with the downturn in gasoline prices. She agreed with Stone.

“It’s been kind of backwards this year,” she said. “I think with the hurricane, people felt kind of guilty, but it is Christmastime.”

“Black Friday was happening,” said Keith Hutchinson, a salesman at Milagros Unique Jewelry & Gifts. Since then, sales had slowed a bit, he said.

The hottest selling items at Milagros were hand-carved and painted wooden cats ranging from 2 to 4 feet tall. They sell for $24 to $48 each.