The Executive Director of the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association says it was a better than expected holiday season for downtown businesses.

Carl DeSantis says many business owners were surprised by the amount of business they saw, though he says many of them have adapted to the realities of COVID-19.

“Its not just the face to face interactions with people walking in the door, the consumers walking in the door,” he said. “We got more of an online presence. We’ve got take out, pick up, delivery – things like that and its really helped us a lot.”

DeSantis says he is keeping a close eye on how things pan out in January.

“This is a really difficult time, not just because of the pandemic,” he added. “You know January for retail is a tough time annually so we’re really keeping an eye on things right now and how we can respond as a business community.”

DeSantis notes he is waiting to hear from a few more businesses on how they did over the holidays, but overall he says he too is pleased by how things over the holiday season.