NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Retail sales grew at the fastest pace in three months in June, the government reported Tuesday, a sign that consumers might be a little more willing to spend than previously thought.

The Commerce Department said retail sales rose 0.5 percent in June, up from a reading of unchanged in May, according to revised figures. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com were looking for a 0.4 percent rise for June. The June rise was the biggest since March.

Excluding autos, retail sales grew 0.7 percent, up from 0.1 percent in May. Analysts were looking for a 0.3 percent rise in that measure during June.

Consumers spent more money on building materials, furniture, clothing and sporting goods in June. Consumer spending is watched closely by policy-makers and economists since it fuels two-thirds of the nation's economy.

"This was an honest-to-goodness better-than-expected report," said Lara Rhame, economist with Brown Brothers Harriman. "There were no special factors in it that made it look artificially strong."

"Given that we had weakness both in April and May, retail sales were due to a bounce higher from the pent-up demand," she added. "The report may also indicate that consumer fatigue may not be that severe as we had previously thought."

Sales of building and garden supplies rose 2.6 percent versus May's 0.2 percent decline. Sales of clothing rose 1.3 percent in June, on top of a 1.6 percent gain.

At sporting goods, book, music and hobby stores, sales grew 3 percent in June, a turnaround from the 0.9 percent drop in May. Sales of furniture and home furnishings rose by 0.5 percent after a 1.2 percent advance the month before.

But there were some weak spots. Auto sales slipped 0.1 percent in June after a 0.2 percent decline in May, while electronics and home appliances sales dipped 0.1 percent in June, compared with a 1.7 percent increase the month before.