The complete article can be found at AlabamaNewsCenter.com.
By Nancy King Dennis
Alabama Retailer
Amanda Laurence had been thinking for some time about opening her own home décor business. A dinner out at a Church Street restaurant in her beloved downtown Fairhope cemented her plan.
“I looked up and there was a “For Rent” sign in this window” at 14 South Church St., a golden stone building known for the curve of its two bay windows, she recalls. “I immediately texted the owner and he called me within 15 or 20 minutes.”
Spencer and Maryann Johnson, owners of a British import shop known as the Church Mouse and the adjoining Fairhope Fly Shop, had been thinking about retiring, or at least Maryann had, Laurence said.
Alabamians spent big in December as holiday spending shatters records
With fewer people traveling, visiting relatives or holding Christmas parties during the holidays, Alabamians embraced a different holiday tradition: Spending money. And they did it at a pace the state has never seen before.
Online and in-person spending by Alabamians in November and December jumped nearly 12% over 2019, shattering the previous record, according to an analysis released this week by the Alabama Retail Association. It was the first time the pace of spending growth had broken double digits.
Holiday spending across the nation grew about 8% in 2020, according to an analysis by the National Retail Federation, though that data doesn’t include spending on cars, gas, or restaurants.
By Katie Brown
February 9, 2021
Jon, Cat and Eric Odom rarely stand still in their Chatom hardware store. They stop long enough to pose near the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, which are tax free statewide during the fourth weekend of February. Before and after weather emergencies, the store is a lifeline for the community. (Nancy King Dennis/Alabama Retailer)
Since 1938, Andrews Hardware & Seed Store Inc. has served the people of Chatom, the county seat of Washington County. It’s where everyone gets their plumbing supplies, Yeti coolers and drinkware, boots and even bridal gifts. Originally owned by the Andrews family, the town’s hardware/everything store remains in the hands of locals.