COUNTYWIDE : Easter Sales Meeting Last Year’s Pace

Easter sales in Ventura County stores are running on a par with last year’s, retailers report, despite an earlier than usual holiday, unseasonal weather and the recession.

“We’re having a traditional Easter, even though the colder weather has some people still asking for sweaters and jackets,” said Joe Raabe, manager of the Mervyn’s store in Oxnard.

Raabe said sales at his store are “about the same as last year.” He reported strong demand for “fussy dresses for girls, suits and ties for boys and casual outfits and accessories for women.”

Traffic at the county’s largest shopping center, The Oaks in Thousand Oaks, has been “quite good for the past two weeks,” Barbara Teuscher, manager of the mall, said.

“But business in the week before Easter is normally very heavy, so it’s too soon to tell whether that traffic will translate into increased sales,” she said.

Jay Jones, manager of the K mart store in Ventura, said, “We’re slightly ahead of last year and we’re pleased.” But Jones, echoing Teuscher, said the final results won’t be known “until the last minute on Saturday night.”

“Customers seem to be in a good mood, and I think a lot of that has to do with the end of the war,” Jones said. “They’re in the mood to dress up. In apparel, we’re selling a lot of pastels and floral prints.”

Easter sales at the Sears store in Oxnard are “about average,” store manager Don Facciano reported.

“I’m not ready to say the recession is over,” he said. “People are still very cautious. They don’t seem to have the money.”

Sales might be hurt because Easter comes earlier than usual this year, Facciano said. Other retailers agreed that customers tend to buy more spring clothes when the holiday arrives in April.

“People are starting to buy spring outfits, especially for children,” Facciano said, “but ironically, our two strongest divisions right now are not Easter-related.”

He was referring to Sears’ newly renovated Homelife furniture department and the store’s automotive center.

“We’re installing a lot of batteries, tires and brake jobs,” Facciano said. “Probably because of the economy, people are keeping their cars longer--but they’re doing the necessary work to keep them safe.”