By Jessica Holdman
jholdman@postandcourier.com I m very surprised and pleased, said Lainie Lewis, who runs the State Street Trading Company gift shop in West Columbia.
Lewis has seen customers coming in to find four or five gifts to purchase in one trip, more so than in years past. Not every shopper declares their intention, of course, but retailers said that consumers who wanted to help local stores out have backed up their words with spending. People are really coming in and shopping small, Lewis said.
November and December have been better months for Odd Bird Books, the small bookstore that opened in the Arcade Mall in downtown Columbia in 2020. That s good because the preceding months have been so slow, said owner Benjamin Adams.