Early snowbirds, international visitors create spike in sales downtown
Downtown Palm Springs was packed this weekend — some shop owners calling it the best weekend for business in months. In part, thanks to the early return of some snowbirds.
“It was amazing because I was expecting my same old Saturday…and then in come customers…friends of ours that are snowbirds and they said they came back early this year,” said Rachel Hammond, co-owner, La Akua, Downtown Palm Springs.
She says multiple snowbird customers visited her shop this weekend for the first time, generating more than a thousand dollars worth in sales.
“This Saturday was our best Saturday in sales that we’ve had since June,” added Hammond.
“[We’re from] Toronto Canada…every time we come to Palm Springs it’s fantastic. The weather is excellent, the people are great, the shops are phenomenal,” said Stewart Press,” visiting with his wife.
Other shop owners say they also saw the first significant spike in sales all summer:
“Saturday came along and we did really, really, really good. We got a lot of high sales…we love seeing the snowbirds come back,” said Martha Toledo, assistant manager, Lush Couture.
They say it’s great to see the familiar faces. “They’re the ones that also bring in other customers…their families members and friends,” added Toledo.
Some theorized the cooler-than-usual temperatures might be a factor for the boost in foot traffic Saturday, as many visitors were also in town from neighboring counties. “It’s been nice…it’s actually not that hot out here. So we’ve been walking around it’s fun,” said Ashley Crawford, visiting for her bachelorette weekend.
Some international visitors from the United Kingdom, Russia and Australia were also enjoying the allure of downtown this weekend: “We love this this is really lovely. It’s been fantastic we’re just loving it,” said John & Anita Hacker, from the U.K.
“There’s a lot of people here so it makes it really inviting. The shop owners are lovely…really accommodating. They’re really friendly,” said Sonya Schutterups & Lidia Voskoboinik, visiting from Australia.
Shop owners say it’s hard to tell if they can officially call this an “early start to the season,” but they’re grateful for the good business and hope it stays steady.
KESQ
