With the holiday shopping season coming to an end, it’s been a tale of two Ann Arbors for local retailers. For some, Christmas 2009 has seen record-breaking sales with high-ticket items flying off the shelves. For others, it’s been no better than Christmas 2008 - not a year with many bright spots.

Overall, it’s been a holiday retail season where the "Buy Local" movement found its legs, with independent retailers across Ann Arbor saying customer after customer crossed their threshold with the mission of keeping their shopping dollars close to home.

Shoppers have been out this holiday season - and many are attempting to buy local.

“It used to be that a customer or two each season would say they are (deliberately) shopping local,” said Ingrid Ault, executive director of Think Local First. “Now, retailers are hearing it repeatedly. People are making a real effort.”

And it’s paid off. Some shopkeepers have reported a 30 percent increase in holiday sales over last year, Ault said. The retailers who were less successful were the ones who stocked too many expensive items without adding more reasonably priced merchandise, Ault said. 

“We didn’t see a lot of big ticket items move. There were some, but not a lot.”

Ed Davidson, owner of Bivouac, the outdoor outfitters on South State Street in Ann Arbor, said not all shoppers were counting pennies. He sold out of $450 Tres women’s parkas from North Face in early November and was unable to get more in.

“For some people, if they like something, they don’t worry about the price,” Davidson said.

Still, he started the holiday season by stocking more merchandise with lower price points.

This holiday was better overall than a year ago for Bivouac, Davidson said, but not as strong as 2007. 

“We’ve seen a lot of traffic downtown, we’re hearing a lot of customers saying they are glad we are here," he said. "A lot of people have said they are happy to support downtown.”

Bivouac’s online business also saw a significant increase over a year ago, when it first launched, Davidson said. 

Holiday sales haven’t been as merry for everyone. 

Vicki Honeyman, owner of Heavenly Metal artwork, jewelry and clothing store a couple of blocks off Main Street, said sales were upside down from a year ago. 

“It’s been very different from what I’m used to," she said. "High-ticket items did not move. In the past, high ticket items - anything between $50 and $400 - were my biggest sellers.”

The sales have been better than ever this holiday season.

The Baggallini line of handbags (in the $20-$200 range) has always been a hot holiday seller. “This year, I didn’t sell any,” Honeyman said.

The shift from big to smaller ticket items has squeezed profit margins. While overall holiday sales were down 10 percent from a year ago, gross profits fell 45 percent, Honeyman said, because of the larger margin on more expensive merchandise and because she has marked down some of her stock.

“Smaller things are moving,” Honeyman said. “I’m marking things down and holding my breath.”

Mark Hodesh, owner of Downtown Home and Garden, said he had the most successful holiday season yet. He passed last year’s receipts about a week ago.

“We exceeded all expectations,” he said. “We continue to blow past last year. We’ll have a big percentage increase. People are in a very good mood. The anxiety seems to have left.”

Big sellers included kitchenware, holiday blooming bulbs, Christmas trees and wool hats.

Holiday sales at 16 Hands Gallery are on par with last year, said co-owner Rick Wedel - not a great year but well enough to keep the doors open. 

“We had a lot of people coming in telling us they are putting quality over quantity, rather than giving a lot of things they rather give one nice, handmade thing,” Wedel said.

The gallery ordered in smaller quantities from its artists/suppliers, waiting to see what sold and what didn’t. 

“Instead of one large order, we’ve made several smaller orders,” he said. 

16 Hands also kept its table with sale items up over the holidays. In past years, the store would take the table down to make room for holiday cards. And they’ve used Facebook and blogging to alert customers to new arrivals, which has been effective in generating sales, Wedel said.

Janet Miller is a freelance writer for AnnArbor.com. Reach the news desk at news@annarbor.com or 734-623-2530.