Christmas sales begin
Muncie, Indiana — The calendar says October, but Christmas is here.
Stephanie Richards has the trees, wreaths, garland and glitter to prove it.
Standing in the back room of her store, Country Charm Christmas, at Muncie Mall, Richards and manager Lori Ledbetter laugh as Richards tries, without luck, to wipe a speck of glitter off her chin.
“We go home covered in glitter every night,” Richards said.
Country Charm Christmas — a seasonal store that opened at the beginning of September — sells fall, Halloween and Christmas decor and accessories and is part of a popular segment of the holiday retail scene.
For 21 years, Richards — along with, at times, her mother — has operated the Christmas store in Muncie Mall. For several years, she also had a store at Castleton Square Mall in Indianapolis.
As she shows a visitor around the store, pointing out popular items like grapevine trees, Richards talks about her expectations for this year’s holiday season.
“Sales are a little soft compared to last year, but for what everyone has said, not as soft as I expected,” said Richards, who also owns the Country Charm store at the mall.
Experts have released downbeat predictions on how little consumers — battered by months of stagnant income and steadily rising expenses — will spend on Christmas this year.
Richards isn’t the only local retailer hoping for a good showing in the holiday sales season. At Cassella’s Kitchen downtown, owner Alison Metzger said she’s formulating plans for seasonal sales.
“The fourth quarter tends to be around 40 percent of the year’s business,” Metzger said.
