While most only consider how hectic and stressful the holiday season can be for the shoppers, the reality is the season can be even more of a headache for retail store owners.

As the shopping season comes to a close, Selma store owners are starting to evaluate how the holiday shopping season has gone for them this year. For some the sales proved to be a good, but for others the profits were not as expected.

“Our business is down maybe 35 percent from what is a normal holiday season,” Frames N’ Things owner Kay Traylor said. ”We’ve seen a decrease is in our gift items.”

She said the ongoing bridge replacement project on Dallas Avenue, which started more than four months ago, has interrupted the usual flow of traffic to her store.

“Dallas Avenue is one of the main arteries for getting from one side of town to the next,” Traylor said. “The only other through street is a one-way street that is going toward Dallas Avenue where we are not getting through traffic.”

She said that portion of Dallas Avenue being closed down has caused traffic to be rerouted to JL Chestnut.

“It’s just kind of a headache to get where you’re going,” Traylor said. “Because that seems to the only street that gets you to downtown, unless you come in from Broad. Traffic is always heavy there. It’s just made people just not get out and go that way.”

She said her attempts to attract more customers through advertisements have not worked well as she hoped.

Like every other retailer, Traylor purchased items to be sold for the holiday season in January. She said it’s common for retailers to spend a lot of money during the first part of the year to prepare for the last three months of the year, which tends to be when most of the profits come in.

“Christmas is a big gift-giving time,” she said. “You’re created a lot of inventory and debt, and you depend on a good Christmas season to pay all your bills at the end of the year.”

For Butler Truax Jewelers storeowner Jim Truax, the holiday shopping season has been much different.

“It’s great, because so far this month we’re much busier than last year,” Traux said.

With November and December normally producing one third of their annual business, Truax said he has been tremendously pleased with this shopping season.

With Christmas being Wednesday, Monday and Tuesday mark the final days of the shopping season.