Downtown Baltimore is finding itself a shopping Mecca in the remaining days before Christmas.
With Harbor Place and The Gallery along the city?s Inner Harbor, and a fully enclosed Santa Place for children of all ages, shoppers are finding the area a great place to beat the holiday shopping crunch.
“I found what I was looking for and it was a great deal,” said Sharon Kohrs, a resident of Fort Thomas, Ky., who was in town for a conference and shopping at the Harbor Place. “It?s a fun variety for us because there are a lot of small shops.”
Featuring specialty shops and kiosks, both locations sport a casual atmosphere that not only attracts tourists, but keeps the regular customers coming back. Amaryllis, a handcrafted jewelry shop in The Gallery, prides itself on individualized customer service.
“I think for us, because we have been here for 19 years, they always come to look [during lunch],” said Ann Marie Fiume, owner of Amaryllis. “And then they come back [later in the season].”
Sales have been good during the pre-holidary rush for Fiume, especially since the season kicked off on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when retailers traditionally start making their annual profits.
Tom Saquella, president of the Maryland Retailers Association, said traditional gift items such as clothing and jewelry are beginning to pick up in sales, but shoppers have been most attracted to electronics and other discounted items.
Good business, however, is easy to judge by seeing people leaving the stores who pass the all-important shopping bag test.
“Proceeds for the year have been good,” said Harbor Place Senior General Manager Christopher S. Schardt. “Traffic has been as expected, and October and November were strong. In this business, you watch for bags.”
Perhaps the best advantage of being an early season shopperis the ability to stop and enjoy what is going on. At Santa?s Place, Santa Claus said he loves his early season visitors with whom he gets to spend a little extra time.
“Especially if they are a shy child,” said Ed Bastress, who has played Santa at the Inner Harbor for 20 years. “It?s easier to have them in without a rush of people. We have more time to be personal with them.”
BY THE NUMBERS
» Tom Saquella, president of the Maryland Retailers Association, said state retailers should reap about $4.5 million more this year in holiday shopping sales above last year?s market of $9 billion.
» A 5 percent increase in sales from Christmas 2005 to this year is running slightly ahead of the five-year running average, he said.
