How did the Valley do this Christmas?
Roanoke Rapids — The holiday spirit treated retailers kindly this season. Many stores, which continue to offer seasonal bargains, exceeded expectations despite some early worries.
“We had some concerns with Christmas being on a weekend and people going out of town,” said Richard Bunn, store manager for JC Penney and Company in Becker Village Mall. “We’re going to finish this month ahead of our plan.”
“We had a very good Christmas season,” John Whichard, owner of The Gift Gallery and Gourmet Shop, stated. “Much better than last year.” Whichard’s success comes despite he’s moving his store the day after Christmas from the Becker Village Mall to the Lowe’s Shopping Center. He’s set to re-open Feb. 1.
“We beat expectations,” said Herb Eckerlin, store manager for Belk on Premier Drive in Roanoke Rapids.
“We did extremely well,” Erica Andrews, store manager for Peebles in Roanoke Rapids, said. “This year was better than last year.”
