Sharp increases in both taxable retail and lodging sales highlighted an October in Aspen that behaved less like an offseason month and more like an active one.
In its monthly consumption report issued last week, the city of Aspen’s finance department reported taxable sales in October topped the same months in 2020 by 41.8% and 2019 by 74.8%.
“October, while typically a shoulder season period for businesses to dial back and prepare for the pending ski season, saw high consumer spending despite inflationary price pressures and appears to still be fueled by pent-up COVID driven demand,” said Anthony Lewin, the city’s senior tax auditor, in comments accompanying the report released Wednesday.
Retailers in October alone combined to generate $67.3 million in taxable sales, with the industry performances broken down as follows:
— Accommodations, $15.6 million in October sales, up 155.3% over October 2020 and 109.9% over October 2019
— Restaurants/bars, $9.4 million, up 4% over 2020 and 55.2% over 2019
— Sports equipment/clothing, $2.7 million, up 11.5% over 2020 and 87.4% over 2019
— Fashion/clothing, $7.1 million, up 22% over 2020 and 201.2% over 2019
— Construction, $7.6 million, 10.9% over 2020 and 29% ahead of 2019
— Food and drug, $4.8 million, 92.8% ahead of 2020 and 34.2% better than 2019
— Liquor, $777,636, 5% behind 2020 and 30.2% ahead of 2019
— Miscellaneous, $9.6 million, 98.6% over 2020 and 108.3% over 2019
— Jewelry/gallery, $3.7 million, 83.9% over 2020 and 227.4% ahead of 2019
— Utilities, $3.1 million, 7.2% over 2020 and 5.6 over 2019
— Automobile, $1.6 million, 41.3% behind 2020 and 15% behind 2019
— Marijuana, $839,798, 6.6% below 2020 and 34.8% ahead of 2019
— Bank/finance, $247,843, 11.6% behind 2020; 2019 n/a
— Health/beauty, $271,179, no comparisons available
Year-to-date sales through October totaled $824.1 million, outpacing the first 10 months of 2020 by 30.4% and the same period in 2019 by 23.2%, according to the report.