Many Santa Fe retailers report more consumer confidence, but it's far too early to say the good old days are coming back. High unemployment and uncertainty about what will happen in coming months apparently are still causing visitors to hold off on buying sprees, for now at least.

Last year at spring break, Latricia Gonzales McKosky says, when she asked people browsing her InArt gallery on Delgado Street if she could help them, some reacted defensively. She took that as an indication of worries about their jobs and the faltering economy — and a lack of money to buy much of anything.

This spring those who come into the gallery seem to have a whole different attitude. "It makes a big difference," Gonzales McKosky said. "People seem more optimistic about things."

But that hasn't yet meant a big turnaround in sales.

"There are a lot more people in town," Gonzales McKosky said, "but buying art is not the reason they're here. It's more that they're on vacation and just enjoying Santa Fe."

The city has benefited from a good ski season — even a great one — and the number of people headed for the slopes has made a big difference this year for some businesses.

"Things have been going very well," said Debi Owen, communications director for Ski Santa Fe. "We were up for the week, and we're well ahead of last year. We've got 110 inches of snow on the ground."

Those conditions allowed managers to extend the ski area's 2009-2010 season through April 11.

Back downtown, Dorothy Massey at Collected Works bookstore says there are definitely more people in town. "Our sales have been going up steadily," she said. "That's from January, and I really can't tell you it's the result of spring break."

Best-selling items, Massey said, are books for children and young adults.

"If it ever stops snowing," she added, "I think we'll do well."

Closer to the Plaza, longtime Santa businessman John Kinsolving has been seeing out-of-state tourists coming into his Tees and Skis store on Washington Avenue.

"We were seeing Texas last week and Oklahoma this week," he said. "We've also got a lot of people from New Jersey and Washington, D.C., and back East, which is great. It's bringing our store back a little bit."

Two years ago, at the height of the recession, "we nearly closed it," Kinsolving said. "Last year we broke even."

But it wasn't all good news after that. "Our January and February of this year were terrible," said Kinsolving, who has been in business for nearly three decades. "But now it's much better. We'll probably make it to 30 (years)."

After T-shirts, Kinsolving said, his best sellers are gift items and chile ristras.

The restaurant business is an important part of Santa Fe's economy, and for Santa Fe Dining, which operates Blue Corn Restaurant, Rio Chama Steakhouse and other eateries, "spring break has been pretty good," general manager Jeff Jinnett said.

As in recent years, he said, "casual dining is doing better than fine dining. We did see significant increases through the weeks of spring break. And there was continued strength last week. It was very encouraging."

Among the company's best-performing restaurants were Sleeping Dog Tavern and Rooftop Pizzeria, both downtown. Jinnett also said that his Marble Brewery tap room on the Plaza is doing well and will be expanding.

Overall, he said, "Things are up one week, down the next week and even the next week. I feel better about summer coming, based on the business we got in spring break."

Some restaurants would appreciate a little more business. Among them is Santa Fe Capitol Grill, in Plaza San Isidro on Santa Fe's southwest side.

"It could be the weather, it could be taxes," manager Joe Johnson said. "We've definitely slowed down in the last few weeks."

Johnson expects business to increase when it warms up, allowing dining on the restaurant's large patio.

Contact Bob Quick at 986-3011 or bobquick@sfnewmexican.com.