In addition to his Vancouver store, Sobolik has two other stores: one in Portland and one at the Streets of Tanasbourne in Hillsboro, Ore. Sobolik says his East Vancouver store will move six doors east, within the same shopping center, in November – all in one day, to keep business flowing.
The new location will be conveniently located next to the bustling Target, and will feature better lighting and a feeling of openness with an additional 1,200 square feet more space than the current location. The new space will look similar to the company’s attractive Streets of Tanasbourne store, offering shoppers more of a boutique shopping experience with hardwood floors, granite countertops, extensive lighting and beautiful fixtures throughout.
Dick Hannah Dealerships, in the Vancouver Auto Mall, is also seeing growth, but is remaining cautiously optimistic.
“In our company’s history and in other companies’ histories around Clark County, there have been stronger years, but it’s certainly pacing better,” said Kent VanArnam, director of marketing for Dick Hannah.
“[The year] 2011 was better than 2010, and 2012 is better than 2011,” he noted.
VanArnam believes what’s happening in the business climate is that, even though business is trending better, there is still some caution out there, which is how his company is operating its business.
To help attract new customers and boost sales, Dick Hannah is in the process of upgrading facilities and trying a different strategy for advertising.
“Most all of our dealerships have had small or, in most cases, significant upgrades to our facilities,” VanArnam said.
The Kia store was a complete renovation and the Honda building across the street received a fresh coat of paint. Chrysler got a new façade and fascia. Subaru also received a fascia upgrade last year and is almost ready to roll out a brand-new retrofit on the inside of the building.
“We’ve made significant investments in not only our infrastructure and buildings, but also our branding campaign. For the first time in a long time, Dick Hannah is making significant investments in media,” said VanArnam. Instead of advertising a specific price point, the company is focusing more on getting its brand name out to the public.
Another massive retail group, Westfield Vancouver, is seeing impressive growth as well.
“This has been a really strong year with double-digit increases in center traffic and sales,” said Chris Yates, marketing director for Westfield Vancouver.
“We anticipate a phenomenal holiday fueled by the new addition of retailers to the center in 2012,” he said. New stores include White House Black Market, Cinetopia, LOFT, Express, G by Guess, The Body Shop, Teavana, Fuego and others, scheduled to open in 2013.
“As the center continues to evolve, all sales and traffic metrics point to continued growth and expansion at Westfield Vancouver through 2012 and into 2013,” said Yates.
“The community has responded by supporting their local businesses, as foot traffic and sales double-digit increases have shown. Vancouver residents looking for an elevated shopping experience locally now have more choices than ever before,” he explained.
Kelly Parker, president and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, has heard from a wide range of retailers around Vancouver.
“I would describe the 2012 retail season in Vancouver as a little bit of a mixed bag,” said Parker.
“It would be hard to say that there has been a significant increase in consumer sales overall, but I believe from the members I listen to that there are niche retail sectors that are doing better this year than they did last year. Consumer spending for families has increased slightly,” she said.
Parker mentioned that the sales tax exemption Oregonians receive while shopping in Vancouver is key to a large percentage of Vancouver’s small retail businesses’ bottom lines.
“Many of our retailers will report that they do benefit from the out-of-state shoppers who don’t pay sales tax,” said Parker, “and if the Washington State Legislature was successful in eliminating the exemption, my retailers would
lose 10 to 25 percent.”
Regarding antiques and collectible stores, she said, as much as 40 percent of their sales are coming from Oregon consumers.
“I think retailers are feeling determined to have the best possible retail season,” said Parker.
“We are cautiously optimistic for the holiday season. If this is the recovery, let’s make the most of it,” she stated.
“Nobody’s really sure what happens on the other side, so you really only have two choices; you can either be pessimistic, and that will likely be the outcome, or you can be carefully optimistic. And that doesn’t mean being foolish by over-ordering, it means being cautious,” added Parker.
“I think the name of the game right now is, be optimistic, but realistic,” she said.
