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The encouragement to shop local in the Pella community may have paid off this holiday season, as several downtown retailers reported strong shopping seasons. Mike Schuring, owner of Franklin Street Clothing says preliminary sales figures for the holiday season look good and says tighter personal budgets may have, in fact, spurred more local shopping activity.

Jamie Veenstra, manager of the Radio Shack in Pella says that holiday sales at his store exceeded expectations and adds that concerns over programming availability from a popular cable provider helped push up the sales of satellite television systems.

Bruxvoort’s Decorating Center in Pella, which specializes in home furnishings, flooring and appliances also noted a high number of customers prior to, and even following the holiday season. That’s according to co-owner Dot Bruxvoort, who says the time off from work and the chance for spouses to shop together makes the holiday season one of their busiest times of the year.