This holiday season may not have been merry for sluggish national retailers, but the picture was a bit jollier in Evanston.

Fifty-one percent of downtown retailers had increased sales over the holiday period last year, according to downtown business organization EvMark, which polls businesses in the 34-block area every year. Another 24 percent reported having equal sales, and the remaining quarter experienced a drop in sales.

The 75 percent that equaled or surpassed the previous holiday season’s sales compares to 83 percent that reported equal or better sales to EVMark at the end of 2001.

“This Christmas was a decent season, with better than national numbers in retail sales,” said Bridget Lane, executive director of EvMark.

Nationally, retailers had a slow year, with an increase in sales that barely kept up with inflation. It was still the largest holiday season ever — but sales grew at a slower rate than in previous years.

In Evanston, large retail chains tended to outperform small independent stores, Lane said. Urban Outfitters, Cost Plus World Market, the Art Store, Borders Books, Office Max and Radio Shack were among the chains that reported improved sales at their downtown locations. Last year, according to EvMark, independent stores performed better overall.

December was a good month for Radio Shack, 716 Church St.

“While we had the same amount of traffic, we managed to sell more products and offer more product choice,” said store manager Jim Gernady.

He added that the store saw a 40 percent increase in sales in December over the month before — compared with a 7 percent increase over the same period in 2001.

Smaller businesses, such as women’s clothing store Presence, 1631 Sherman Ave., did well this holiday season. But many reported sales that decreased compared with previous years.

“We made our (sales) goal every day for the whole season, which was a very positive sign,” Presence manager Elizabeth Lyons said. “But sales were slower than previous years.”

Lyons attributed the dip to the economy, with many consumers browsing and comparison shopping.

Lane said the numbers are encouraging, even if they aren’t across the board.

“The figures reflect that Americans are returning to downtowns to shop,” Lane said. “People visited the malls over the holidays but did their serious shopping in downtowns because they are more welcoming and creative environments that reflect communities’ tastes.”

Other business owners were less enthusiastic about sales but reiterated that Evanston fared better than many other places.

“Business was definitely slower than the previous year,” said Gordon Magill, trustee manager for Family Properties, which owns the 1700 block of Sherman Avenue. “But it was not gloomy bad.”

Dana Haefner, owner of Kamala Perfumes, was less optimistic.

“This has been the worst Christmas ever,” Haefner said. “Our business is not affected by upturns and downturns. It’s just that a lot of people are scaling back for this Christmas season.”

Kamala Perfumes recently moved out of its location at 640 Church St. and will open its new store in south Evanston this weekend.

Ofischl Sports, 1521 Sherman Ave., recorded sales comparable to previous holiday seasons.

“November and December sales were similar this year,” owner Dave Fowler said. “This was the result of some people buying gifts ahead of time and a late-arriving crowd.”

Reversing a downward trend, outdoor retailer Uncle Dan’s fared better this season, joining Mostly Handmade, Close Knit Inc., Comix Revolution and Nabih’s Computer Center as independents with improved sales.

“Business felt a lot better than last year,” said Uncle Dan’s co-manager Cameron Marceau. “It was a positive ending to a good year.”