WHAT SLOWDOWN? JACKSON MERCHANTS ARE ENJOYING BIG WINTER

Despite bad December weather and constant media talk of a slowing economy, local business owners have found this winter to be one of ringing cash registers.

Snow fell Dec. 13 and on several days throughout the month. Meanwhile, temperatures never rose high enough to melt much of the snow on sidewalks, parking lots and side roads. The weather was blamed for a slump in Christmas sales nation-wide and statewide. Jackson merchants seemed to avoid the weather problem.

"We really did great," said Dawn Fallert of High Street Station. "The weather didn't affect us. We had one day -- the first day it snowed -- that business was slow. That was the only day."

"We had a good Christmas, despite the weather," echoed Jeff Moore of Ross Furniture. "People still got out and bought new furniture. Despite some of the negative economic news, January is going well. We expect it to be a good year."

"My Christmas season was pretty close to last year," said Brenda Phelps of The Way Christian Book Store. "It was down just a little bit, but not bad. I think the bad weather was quite a bit of it. There were some days when a lot of people just didn't get out and shop. Overall, we were down very, very little from last year. I was pleased with our Christmas season.

"In January we've really picked up. We're having a really good January so far," she said.

"I think they did well," said Ken Parrett, executive director of the Jackson Chamber of Commerce. "I don't think there was as much of a drop-off as they anticipated."

"The outlooks are very rosy," he said. "Optimism runs rampant over here. I think they're anticipating a banner year."

"January has really been good," Fallert agreed. "January last year was a little slow. We always have a good February and we've had a really strong January this year. I think we'll have a good year."

Fallert said sales have risen in January.

"We're a new business, so we expect sales to be climbing," she said. "We were above estimated goals in sales for the year -- especially in December, and in the fall."

"We feel very fortunate that things are going like they are," Moore said. "We hope that's because we're doing something right."

"January has taken off tremendously, too," Fallert said. "Sales have been higher than we expected this month, already. I'm very pleased."

The national media have projected an economic slowdown and likely recession for the near future, but Parrett doesn't see local merchants pressing any panic buttons.

"Every community is different," he said. "It just depends on what the local populace feels when it comes to their bottom line. They make decisions based on their own experiences. You can't believe everything you read and only half of what you see."

What one sees in Jackson is continued business growth.