Holiday rush welcomed in Louisville stores after COVID closures

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The last weekend before Christmas is notoriously busy for retail stores, and this year the holiday rush was more welcome than ever in Louisville.

"We are very excited to be open because last year we were not open because of COVID," Mahonia owner Bridget Davis said. "So, we were here selling things and packaging gifts for people, but we weren't able to have the doors open, so this year is especially great because we're happy to be finally open again."

Mahonia and other local stores in NuLu say they've been especially busy this holiday season.

Many shop managers believe people are starting to feel more comfortable shopping in person.

"You can't really compare to last year, but when we look back two years ago, we're starting to catch up which is really encouraging — looking forward to 2022," Revelry manager Maya Griffin said.

Griffin says Revelry has had some customers come in this holiday season who say it's been their first time shopping in-store since the pandemic began in March 2020.