Shoppers are staying busy and are continuing to buy local, asBrookhaven’s sales tax numbers hold steady.

The city brought in $400,390.18 for the month of October, which is$21,299.43 more than this time last year.

Cliff Brumfield, Brookhaven-Lincoln County Chamber of Commerceexecutive vice president, attributed much of the success to localretailers and the automotive industry.

“We’re a draw for our many boutiques and our strong presence as anew and used car sales center as well as our motorcycle and ATVindustry,” said Brumfield.

Brumfield also commended local businesses on their ability to drawa not so local crowd. He said a quick look at some of the car tagson the vehicles parked in Brookhaven’s shopping centers is evidenceat the pull the city has from the surrounding communities.

“We’re a destination shopping center for Southwest Mississippi andLouisiana,” said Brumfield. “We’re a popular shopping destinationfor those looking for a unique shopping experience.”

For October, Brookhaven placed 23rd among the state’s top sales taxcollectors.

Brookhaven can boast sales tax numbers higher than Madison, OceanSprings, Greenwood and Grenada. However, the city’s numbers fellshort of Natchez and McComb by roughly $15,000 and $4,000respectively.

Mayor Les Bumgarner was happy with the sales tax numbers for themonth, and thinks the local economy could continue toimprove.

“We feel like maybe the economy is beginning to turn the corner,”said Bumgarner. “It’s not as good as it was two or three years ago,but it’s not declining.”

Brumfield also thinks good things are in store for Brookhaven’ssales.

“November has been an extremely good month and we hope to see thistrend continue,” said Brumfield. “As we move into the holidayshopping season, these numbers will increase.”

Brumfield added that a strong local economy and the dropping ofunemployment rates are evidence of something much bigger.

“These are all signs of improvement in our global economy,” saidBrumfield. “By no means are we out of the woods yet, but things aregetting better.”