Independent shops counteract Tsawwassen Mills mega-mall with 'buy local' campaign

Independent retailersin south Delta, B.C., say a push to support local businesseshas helped mitigate the impact of a newmegamallnearby.

"The whole 'shop local' thing really resonated with the people ofLadner," saidAndreaFrustaci,head of the Ladner Business Association.

In the fall, some shops in the area said sales were down by as much as 50 per centafter the Tsawwassen Mills mall opened the month before.

"I think a lot of us were very afraid of the mall coming," said Ruth Scowcroft, owner of independent shop Albany Books in Tsawwassen.

But now that the Christmas shopping rush has died down, retailers like Scowcroft are taking a look at how the season went and many of them are saying it wasn't as bad as they had feared.

"Actually I didn't notice any difference,"Scowcroftsaid."We had a very solid Christmas season. My customers supported us completely 100 per cent."

At South Delta Heels in Ladner, store owner Carol Miles also said sales over Christmas were goodat her shop.

"For our customers, what they tell us is that they really appreciate the personalized service that they get here," Miles said.

Independent businesses in the area got together to run special events, Miles said, and brand themselves as local.

And now the business association say Ladner shops are even cashing in on the new shoppers as they head to and from TsawwassenMills.

With files from Stephanie Mercier.