LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — This year business was booming for retail shops across the country.
Turns out, it's the same story here in Arkansas, local stores did pretty well too.
Several local stores had a record-breaking year in 2021.
Brandy McNair, owner of Bella Vita Jewelry, said she hopes this momentum continues in 2022.
"There's a saying about how small business owners do a dance every time they make a sale and I believe that, it's true. I am always excited to see people coming through the door and supporting what we're doing," she said.
It's a dance that McNair did often this year with more people buying her jewelry online and in-store.
"I think during the last year and a half, two years, people have realized how important it is to shop local, and they're really putting their money in their local economy," she said.
The statistics show that, too.
According to local economist Michael Pakko, retail sales across the state are running 25% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
"We experienced first a bump up in spending in 2020 and then 2021 has really been the year of the consumer, and that's been really driving the recovery through this year," he said.
A big chunk of that spending was made online.
Pakko said, for the second year in a row, e-commerce was over 20% of all retail spending for the holiday season.
"That's probably one of those patterns that's going to be maintained post-pandemic as we go forward, as we're going to see that be a more important sector in our overall retail environment," he said.
For Fringe Clothing in Little Rock, owner Kendall Sandifer said adapting to the pandemic turned into a positive for her business.
"Our online store really picked up and then ever since then, it's just snowballed and we outgrew a space that we had had for eight years," she said.
While a new and bigger store location has only made sales grow more, Sandifer is hopeful for what the new year will bring.
"I hope that people continue the mindset of shopping local and that has just been such a positive outcome of COVID, is the recognition to small businesses," she said.
When it comes to those shortages and delays we got used to, Pakko believes some supply chain issues will be resolved soon, but others may be around for awhile.