Dec 4, 2008 7:02 pm US/Eastern
Miracle On Main Streets Used To Draw Shoppers
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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If you get tired of Christmas crowds and traffic at the mall, some small retailers hope to woo you away.
If you get tired of Christmas crowds and traffic at the mall, some small retailers hope to woo you away.
Suzanne Collins reports special marketing campaigns are underway in this competitive shopping season.
One exclusive clothing store in Ruxton has never run a sale before Christmas, until now.
"We actually will have up to 60 percent of our store on sale, which is extremely unusual," said Josie Worthington, McLaughlin's.
The high end stores in Ruxton Station will run a promotional event Thursday night including a stroll through the shops with carolers, wine and food.
"My business partner Emily and I have talked about the fact that everybody is tired of the doom and gloom. And we're looking to feel good. The holidays come once a year, and we're trying to make this night festive," said Janie Griffin, The Little Shoebox.
As retailers like Wal-Mart are posting gains, small boutiques are hard hit by the economic slump.
"The small businesses are going to be affected dependent on what they're selling. If they're selling higher end products, they're probably going to see a significant impact on their sales," said Steve Isberg, University of Baltimore finance professor.
The city is launching Miracle on Main Streets. It's a joint campaign to get people to shop at the small stores in about 10 city shopping districts. The stores say they really need that this year.
At aMuse toy store in Fells Point, the owner says she needs to attract more than the regular faithful customers. The promotion with Santa, music and sale prices on various days will help.
"I think everybody has been hurting. I think expectations of growth are limited, and people are happy seeing numbers that are reflective of last year. If they're staying flat, they're happy," said Claudia Towles, aMuse Toy Store.
"We're having a moonlight madness sale tomorrow, and a lot of the businesses are going to offer 20 or 30 percent off," said Jason Sullivan, Fells Point.
The slogan for the Miracle on Main Streets promotion is "Do it all without the mall...everything you need is just a hop, skip and corner away."
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