Small business owners say fewer customers are shopping this holiday season

CHARLOTTE, NC — It’s crunch time for holiday shopping. Millions of people will be using the next two weeks to get their loved ones a Christmas gift. For small businesses, this season has been tougher than years past.

Michelle Castelloe owns Moxie Mercantile in Plaza Midwood as well as in Matthews. She says it’s been a slower start to the holiday shopping season this year including on Small Business Saturday.

“It just felt different. It didn’t feel like the purchases were as big as they might have been, or the amount of people. We had steady traffic, but not as much,” explained Castelloe.

Traditions Interiors located in Park Road Shopping Center posted last week a similar sentiment. Writing in part: “this season feels different. It’s quieter. People are browsing, but fewer are committing. And with today’s rising costs, tariffs, and online convenience, small businesses are feeling the pressure.”

A survey by Small Business For America’s Future shows 2/3 of small business owners expect worse holiday sales than last year. Many of them believing tariffs and inflation are keeping people from shopping.

“You know who’s paying it? This small business, small business across North Carolina and this country and their employees and the consumers,” said former North Carolina governor, Roy Cooper.

In a news conference on Friday, Cooper talked about how business owners like Cheryse Terry are being impacted. Terry owns Archive CLT in west Charlotte.

“Tariffs has gone up. So my price is going up. Me not wanting to offset that to the customer but having to do it for profit purposes. You know coffee is a luxury. That’s the first thing to go for people is they’ll do it at home. So what keeps me up at night is my customers not coming in,” said Terry.