Some local businesses seeing uptick heading into Christmas

This weekend is the last one before Christmas and people who haven’t done their shopping yet likely aren’t alone.

Some local businesses in Regina are seeing a big uptick in customers heading into the holidays. Extreme Hockey and Sport is one example.

Retail manager Derek Fischer said Thursday he already has seen quite the rush.

“With all the outdoor rinks going in and stuff like that, we start to see different faces than we usually see … It has been really busy with Christmas stuff, outdoor rink skates and used skates, that kind of thing,” he said.

It’s good news for a business that has run into some tough times during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It’s huge. Everyone you talk to has been affected some way. With sports being shut down last year, it was hard on us and hard on everyone that plays, so it’s nice to see people you haven’t seen in a while come back in,” he continued.

And while he’s always glad for people to choose his store, it can get a bit crazy at times.

“It can be hectic,” he said. “There’s a lot of people looking for skates, people need to get sized and fitted properly, and there’s lots of moving pieces every day, but it’s fun.

“Once you get in there and it gets busy, you meet lots of people and get some kids started for the first time on skates, you have a lot of fun doing that.”

It’s a similar situation for Trina Johnson, the owner of Trinos Menswear.

While sales are down from pre-pandemic levels, she has certainly seen a boost this Christmas season.

“People have really been supporting local, which is wonderful. I mean, we wouldn’t still be here after this pandemic without our community. We’re really grateful and thankful for everybody,” she said.

She said the store is seeing a similar number of people as it did last December. While there have been far fewer weddings, graduations and other large celebrations where people would wear formal clothes, the holidays have still been good for her.

“We just love seeing people and people getting into something positive — Christmas, joy and stuff like that. It’s just nice to see that because this has been hard,” she continued with a chuckle.

She also doesn’t mind dealing with the hectic, fast-paced action of a busy day at the shop.

“We love it, because the day goes by really fast and we get to see so many people,” Johnson said.