Published: November 20, 2008 11:01 pm      

Downtown businesses to host holiday shopping event

Six store owners in Huntsville’s downtown square have organized a special holiday shopping event to give local residents a chance to save money and shop close to home, and even Santa and Mrs. Claus will be stopping in to join the fun.

On Dec. 4, stores concentrated on the east side of the Walker County courthouse will have special discounts, holiday treats and other opportunities available for their customers, all in an effort to bring more local shoppers to the downtown area.

“We thought, with the economy and everything else going on during this time of year, that this would be a good time for people to remember that we have a great square in our hometown,” said Lisa Lowery, Lisa’s Gift Box store owner. “We want to remind people that they have the option of saving the money they would need to spend to travel to Houston or The Woodlands Mall, because we have lots of great shops right here in Huntsville.”

The shops participating in the event – Lisa’s Gift Box, the Facemaker, Mt. Vernon Gift Shop and Children’s Room, Ernst Jewelers, Audie’s Boutique and the Stardust Room restaurant and pub – are each planning on offering special money saving offers to customers throughout the Dec. 4 business day.

All of the stores will be open and offering special discounts from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m., and some of the stores will open sooner.

Historical Huntsville establishment Ernst Jewelers is planning a day of special deals and rare purchasing opportunities.

“Store owner Robert Ernst, Jr. is having Orbis designer John Hartgrove and his wife come to the store for a special Orbis trunk show,” said Blythe Ernst, Mt. Vernon Gift Shop owner. “They’ll be coming in with their entire line of jewelry, and we’re also expecting other designers to come in, as well.

“While at the store, shoppers will also find several discounts on designer jewelry from lines such as Rolex, John Hardy, Llardo, Pandora, or Surefire Flashlights.”

Ernst said she will also have several discounts available in both the gift shop side of her store and in the children’s’ room.

“On Dec. 4, we’ll be offering 20 percent off of regularly priced, in-stock merchandise,” she said. “For the kids, we’ll have sales on Feltman Brothers, Webkinz, Thomas the Train and Robeez shoes merchandise, and in our gift shop, patrons will see brands like Tyler and Woodwick candles on sale.

“As always, we’ll also have pajamas, robes, fine bath products, serving pieces and home decor available.”

Ernst said she and the other shop owners are very excited about the Dec. 4 event.

“We love this idea,” she said. “We’re just glad to get all of the Huntsville downtown businesses to come together and offer such a unique service to the residents of Huntsville.

“We hope this becomes a yearly tradition for downtown Huntsville around the holidays.”

At the Facemaker, owner Bert Lyle and his wife, Susie Lyle, will be offering several special offers to the customers who visit the shop.

“We are very excited to offer several specials on Dec. 4 that include 20 percent off our Arbonne Spa Treatments and 15 percent off our jewelry and crosses,” said Susie Lyle. “Come by and experience product samples, lots of great gift ideas that are wrapped and ready, drawings for door prizes and refreshments which will be served throughout the day.”

Lowery said she plans to go all-out for her event — in addition to printing personalized invitations for her customers, she said her husband will be donning a Santa Claus costume, and she will be dressed as Mrs. Claus.

“We want to invite shoppers to come in and let ‘Mrs. Claus help them with their shopping,” Lowery said. “We’re going to have tons of food available, including samples of our gourmet food lines Pepper Springs and Tea Forte.

“We’ll also be running 20 percent discounts on all of our regular priced items that day, which will include Lah-Tee-Dah and Colonial Home fragrances.”

Audie’s Boutique co-owner Gina Garza said her store will also offer drinks and appetizers, and a special discount will be offered to customers who arrive just because of the special event.

“We will be doing special markdowns just for Dec. 4, and only people who mention the event will have access to specific discounts,” she said. “We’ll also have several other markdowns available to all of our customers. We just want people to come down here and be on the square for a one-stop shopping experience.

“Some of the items we’ll have on sale will include jewelry, high-end denim and stocking stuffers.”

Finally, the Stardust Room will also take part in the event by offering $1 discounts on virtually everything they sell.

“We are going to offer $1 off of entrees, appetizers and happy hour prices,” manager Zachary Barnes said. “We want to invite people to come lift their spirits on Dec. 4, and we hope they will enjoy our eclectic mix of foods.”

Lowery said the hope of the shop owners is to provide a comfortable and enjoyable shopping experience for local residents in an area very close to home.

“This is not the square of a long time ago — it’s updated, and we have all of these great shops with specialized items for people to see,” she said. “We all ended up running sales, so people really will be getting great deals on great items, and we just hope local shoppers take advantage of this exciting opportunity.”