The cold weather didn’t keep holiday shoppers away from the downtown on Monday, with just a few days left before Christmas.
Kent Just, with Meadow Lane Gifts and Collectibles, said this year’s holiday rush has been steady.
“Everybody waits for Remembrance Day and then the Christmas shopping is on, and we’ve been busy every day and every day we are getting busier and busier right through Christmas.”
After a slow couple of years, many downtown businesses said shoppers are excited to explore the growing and changing downtown.
“So many new people that hadn’t been downtown in four or five years and now they are slowly coming back so it’s good to see,” said Just.
“Lots of new faces, everyday we see new faces, people who have never been in or didn’t know we were here, maybe hadn’t been downtown in a couple of years,” added Penny Warris with Analog Books.
She added some of the businesses have been working together to entice shoppers, plus the newly revamped Sixth Street has been a big drawing card.
“Festival Square and the skating rink has been fantastic, up until this last cold snap. It just opened last Thursday, but crazy busy with the skating rink and people down there. It’s been really, really fun.”
With more to see and do in the downtown, Just said it’s brought clientele they have never had before.
“We are seeing people from the book store that we usually don’t have in here and people who shop at the Urban Apothecary next to us, we’ve got people crossing over from all different businesses, so it’s good to see.”
For those holiday procrastinators, most downtown shops, like Analog Books, will be open on Dec. 24.
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