The holiday shopping season is underway and retailers in downtown Elmhurst have varying takes—from lukewarm to bustling — on how sales are going.

In the days immediately following Thanksgiving sales “were very good. We have two stores. One in Elmhurst and one in LaGrange. And both did real good,” said Angie Phillips, manager of the Runner’s Soul, a specialty store for runners in downtown Elmhurst.

Phillips attributed the store’s successful start to the holiday season to promotions it offered such as a $20 gift card for shoppers who purchased $100 in apparel.

She also said a change to colder weather prompted people to open their pocketbooks.

“With it being a lot colder out, people were coming in looking for (warmer) clothing,” she said.

She said the store also did email blasts and updated their Facebook page to let shoppers know what promotions they were offering.

Phillips said just a handful of customers came in because of Small Business Saturday, a nationwide promotion that gave a $25 credit on their bill to people who used their American Express credit card for a purchase.

She, along with Bill Patterson, owner of Leonard’s Men’s clothing store, said not enough people were aware of Small Business Saturday to make it matter to them.

“There’s not a big push behind it yet,” Patterson said.

Patterson, whose store has been in business for 72 years, also had not expected a burst of sales at his store on Black Friday.

“Black Friday – for small businesses is not a big thing at all,” he said. “That’s a Big Box, made-up event.”

Patterson expects his holiday sales this year to be in line with last year’s, which were lackluster compared to seasons prior to the recession. With high unemployment, he does not predict that sales will rebound for quite a while.

“This is going to be a long adjustment,” he said. “You’re not going to get back to where things were five years ago. It’s going to take some time.”

He said a local coupon book that was sent to Elmhurst residents by Elmhurst City Centre brought in some customers, and reminded people of the importance of supporting local stores.

He also said his emphasis on building long-term relationships with his customers is what generates his store’s sales.

“It’s the clientele and the quality (of the merchandise),” Patterson said. “You build a business by treating people right. It’s not rocket science.”

Not far away at Just Fun Fashions, a kids’ boutique, Debby Green, said she has been disappointed by post-Thanksgiving sales at her store.

“It’s probably about the same as last year, which was probably our slowest year,” Green said.

The store, which Green operates with her mother, Thora Rogers, offers many custom-made and unique items.

Like the Runner’s Soul, Green said she isn’t just hoping people will come in to purchase a holiday gift. She plans to reach out to customers via email and Facebook, and will offer coupons.