Holiday hustle: Small businesses cash in on the day after Christmas

BELLEVUE, Ky. — For many small businesses, the holiday doesn’t end on Christmas Day. The days following offer an opportunity to finish the year strong.

For many, the day after Christmas is typically a day for relaxation and recovery with friends and family. But for small business owners in northern Kentucky, it’s not only an opportunity to connect with customers, but to clear out that Christmas inventory before the new year begins.

In Bellevue, a few small businesses like Splendid Things, a festive boutique, opened the day after Christmas, inviting shoppers to partake in post-holiday bargains or return things. Longtime business owner Crystal Thompson says being open the day after Christmas day is normal for her.

“Normally we’re here the day after Christmas. People might have returns,” Thompson said. “They’ve got parties this weekend that they still need gifts for, and they know they’re going to find something here. And they count on me to be here.”

She also explained that construction of the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, connecting Cincinnati and Newport closed in November, and it has affected her and other small businesses along Fairfield Avenue.

 “What was a ten-minute drive is now taking people an hour,” she said. She also explained that the community’s annual Christmas walk event, that occurs on Small Business Saturday, urges residents and visitors to shop with small businesses, was also impacted, ultimately affecting sales. 

However, she said sales picked up the last two weeks keeping her optimistic. Now she’s depending on shoppers like Cindy Wilson, who enjoy shopping after the holiday to end the year strong.

Wilson said, “I still have a party on Saturday. We do an after Christmas special with our family. There’s a few little things I still like to pick up, and it is a stocking stuffer kind of a thing, but I love shopping down here.”

Thompson looks foward the new year. She says she knows things will improve.

She said, “People love this little strip, and they love this little town. We have wonderful food here, great shops. And I’m sure people will look forward to coming back.”

According to Intuit QuickBooks Holiday 2024 Shopping Survey, many small business owners depend on holiday sales to make up at least a third of their yearly revenue.