On the final day of 2018, we look back at our top events, videos, posts, profiles and issues of the year across Alabama Retail’s website and social media accounts. Hope you enjoy this year in review as we look forward to 2019!
TOP TWEET AND ISSUE
BREAKING: A HUGE win for local retailers today. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in favor of leveling the playing field between online and local retailers. This June 21 tweet ranked No. 1 for the year as did the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that was more than two decades in the making. Read more.
TOP VIDEO
Diapers are tax free too! Alabama’s August back-to-school sales tax holiday always ranks among the biggest news of the retail year in Alabama. This July 11 video about what items are tax free during the three-day tax holiday earned three times as many views and engagement than any other video we shared all year.
A July 20 tweet linking to exempt items also ranked among the top three tweets of 2018.
The Feb. 1 news release about Alabama’s severe weather sales tax holiday made the Top 10 website posts of 2018. Now is time to prepare for the 2019 observance, which is set for Feb. 22-24.
TOP FACEBOOK PHOTO ALBUM
When it came time to vote on the Alabama Retailer of the Year Customer’s Choice Award, the June 27 to July 11 Facebook photo album voting system reached more than 200,000. And the winner is Lavish Boutique and Coffee Bar in Jasper, 
which received 3,112 of 23,609 votes cast. Our Aug. 28 visit with Lavish owners Shannon and Dustin Beaty also resulted in our top multiple photo post on Facebook for 2018.
TOP MEMBER PROFILES
A March post about the 100th anniversary of Trowbridge’s Ice Cream Parlor and Sandwich Shop was the most read member profile on this website for 2018. It also resulted in a Top 10 tweet. When in Florence, stop by for some of Trowbridge’s famous orange pineapple ice cream.
A video interview with Don Trowbridge and another Alabama Centennial Retailer, Mobile’s Pollman’s Bake Shops, posted in October ranked in the Top 10 viewed Alabama Retail videos of the year. Fred and Rose Pollman will be happy to whip you up a Dobash cake. It is chocolate and praline yumminess, you don’t want to miss.
Next among our most-read member profiles of 2018 was the July Alabama Retailer cover story on the owners of Jalapeños Mexican Grill. Wayne and Justin Grimball along with Jheovanny Gomez, own restaurants in Tuscaloosa, Northport and Cottondale. Jheovanny’s journey – the American dream wrapped up in a love story – ranked as our fifth most engaging tweet of 2018.
Readers also were drawn to a November story about a second-generation family shoe store in Mobile, J-Ray Shoes. For more than 64 years, this store has been fitting children in the perfect shoe. The youngest daughter of John Ray and Marian Dominick’s nine children, Leigh Dominick Kercher, now manages the day-to-day operations.
Our website readers also found inspiration in the story of Christy and Johnny Keyton, who recognized the retail potential in downtown Dothan. Christy named their home décor and gift shop after her grandmothers, Naomi & Olive. She and Johnny also own the Bird & Bean Coffee Shop next door. This February story also ranked among the most read Alabama Retailer stories of 2018.
TOP EVENT
Videos produced for Alabama Retail Day, our celebration of all things retail and when we honor the Retailers of the Year, took up all of the most-viewed spots following the August sales tax holiday video.
The Facebook photo album posted after the October event had the second highest reach of the year, behind the Customers’ Choice Award album.
The photos posted as we interviewed the Retailers of the Year for the videos also proved popular, especially those for Cobalt The Restaurant in Orange Beach and The Locker Room in Montgomery and Auburn.
In 2019, follow Alabama Retail at:
 |
 |