Local small businesses still feel holiday season inflation even after costs start to lower

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — As Autumn Ruhe stocked the shelves of her Midtown toy store one day recently, she said she noticed some items have actually gotten a little less expensive. “There were some companies that the prices did go down, which was really cool,” she said.

Ruhe's store, Mildred and Dildred, is lined with row upon row of playthings for kids of all ages. Ruhe's been in business since 2007, but moved to her current location on Swan in 2020.

“For the most part, it’s the child that's the one who's making the toy work," she said, but some items, like books and wooden trains, are in fact, more expensive. "We’ve had to raise prices (there)," Ruhe said, "because they are printed on the back and those have been kind of creeping up."

KGUN9 has shared how Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reports show inflation dropped 0.6 percent from October 2023 to Oct. 2024. “Here and there," Ruhe said. "It hasn’t been across the board, but we have seen it.

Ever since Mildred and Dildred moved to Swan, Ruhe said she's seen costs go down, and this year, the store saw a six percent increase in customers compared to last year. That in part, she said, speaks to why it's important to shop at local stores, instead of spending cash in big retailers.

“When you shop local, much more of that money stays in the community," Ruhe said, "and it also just keeps our community more vibrant, more interesting, more unique."

Elsewhere in town, Creative Kind sells stickers, greeting cards, cups, and other memorabilia. Employee Melissa Scolman helps by selling merchandise at a pop up inside Tucson Mall. “It really helps get our name and our products in front of people that might not otherwise see us,” Scolman said.

Scolman said the store makes most of its profits during the holiday season, but products like greeting cards cost more now because the printing is more expensive. She also said wood ornaments have gotten expensive, too. “A lot of times it’s only a few cents, but that really adds up when you end up ordering several hundred of a certain item,” Scolman said.

Creative Kind said they are charging more for new items, but still hope local shoppers continue to support small businesses. "It supports the different artists and the different people that work at the retail locations,” Scolman said.