If this weekend”s Downtown Christmas Open House is any indication, Columbus merchants could be in store for a busy holiday season.
The streets and sidewalks of downtown Columbus were crowded with shoppers throughout the day Saturday as business owners kicked off the Christmas season with sales, specials and holiday decor. Groups of shoppers laughed and carried bags down city sidewalks as fellow customers perused the aisles of nearby stores.
Christmas trees and lights twinkled in shop windows and, on a counter inside Fashion Barn at the corner of Main Street and 5th Street South, cookies and other treats greeted shoppers. Fashion Barn was so busy that employees still hadn”t taken a lunch break by 3:15 p.m.
“It”s always a great event,” Fashion Barn manager Erika Allison said of the Downtown Christmas Open House. “It really is, but this year has been the busiest ever.”
“It has been great,” added Fashion Barn owner Homer Beaty.
At Party and Paper on 5th Street South, where Christmas gifts and decorations abound, owner Susan Mackay shared similar sentiments.
“Today has been a tremendous day,” Mackay said. “We”ve had lots of traffic, sales have been good and I think people have enjoyed the cooler weather and Christmas music, so it seems to have put everybody in the spirit for Christmas.”
Mackay and other business owners typically use the Downtown Christmas Open House to predict how business will go the rest of the year, she said.
“This is our key weekend that lets us know how the rest of the season is going to be,” Mackay said. “We”ve had tremendous crowds, so we”re looking forward to a real good Christmas season.”
Of the customers who came downtown this weekend, many said they plan to spend as much, if not more, this Christmas than in the past year or two, echoing national predictions. The National Retail Federation estimates a 2.3 percent increase in holiday shopping this year. Nationally, sales declined 3.9 percent in 2008, and saw only a 0.4 percent increase in 2009.
Columbus residents Dana Shelton and Robyn Buxton were shopping at Party and Paper and both said they probably will spend more money this holiday season than in years past. Shelton also said she has seen lower prices while shopping this year, which could contribute to more purchases.
Another shopper, Doris Ebner, of Columbus, also said she plans to increase spending this year as she walked down 5th Street.
“I didn”t spend a lot last year, but things are a little bit better for us (financially) this year than they were last year,” Ebner said.
Several other women also said they plan to spend more this year, but declined to give their names so their husbands wouldn”t find out about their spending in the newspaper.
At Goodie Two Shoes on Main Street, owner Rose Evans said business has been “OK” this weekend and she hopes to see it pick up as the season progresses. Ugg boots were some of her most popular items.
Meanwhile, at Grins and Giggles, employee Hayley Dees said she had a steady stream of customers throughout the day Saturday.
“We”ve been extremely busy,” Dees said. “We”ve had a lot of new faces. A lot of people are buying Christmas clothes, so I would assume this is a good preview of what the holidays will bring.”
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