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Friday, TSlo'vem.loer 18, 1983
Shops offer holiday goodies
by Angel Stokes
Battalion staff
The Christmas season means
celebrations, Santa Claus and
decorations. Two stores in
Bryan/College Station specialize
in Christmas decorations for any
budget.
The Christmas Store, which
opened in 1982, and Red River
Pottery Christmas Creations,
which opened in October, have
almost everything for Christmas
decorating — except Santa and
Mrs. Claus.
The Christmas Store, located
on Harvey Road, is a fantasy
land of toys, cards, trees and de
corations ranging from the tradi
tional to the whimsical, from
affordable to ultra-expensive.
Locally owned by "Red" and
Lou Cashion, The Christmas
Store is not part of the franchise
of The Christmas Store shops in
Dallas, Houston and other ma
jor cities.
"We carry top-of-the-line
merchandise at competitive
prices," says Bicker Cain, vice
president of the Christmas
Store. "It's a quality-type thing.
"We're not just a Christmas
store, we're an exclusive store."
Designer lines by Henri and
Jockline of Italy are carried in the
store, as well as hand-made
items done by local people, such
as the antique dolls and doll clo
thing by Veta Frincel.
The Nativity Scene by Henri
costs approximately $6,000. But,
Cain says that people usually
collect it piece by piece, starting
out with the baby Jesus figure
which costs about $80.
He says the store has other
Nativity sets that cost from
$11.95 on up.
Another exclusive is the stuf
fed animals by Jockline of Italy.
The Avanti Bear is exclusive,
Cain says, because only 450
were made. The store has one of
10 that are in Texas. The bear
costs $1,450 and is a collector's
item.
Each Christmas tree in the
store has a certain theme —
either traditional or non-
traditional. Some of the themes
include the toy tree, the clown
and circus tree, the Aggie tree,
the Victorian tree, the Texas tree
and the mouse tree.
A design staff decorates each
tree to a certain theme. Prices for
a complete tree package range
from $39 to the thousands, he
says. Many banks and busines
ses also have custom trees done.
The store also works with chur
ches during Christmas and
hopes to expand the consultant
service in the future, he says.
While the clown and circus
tree costs about $1,600, indi
vidual ornaments can cost as lit
tle as 79 cents.
Besides trees and decora
tions, unusual gifts are avail
able, such as German music
boxes or gourmet foods from the
Silver Palate in New York. And a
line of World Dolls — which
makes the Louis Nicole Doll —
will soon be available, he says.
The Christmas Store original
ly opened only for Christmas,
but Cain says the store is now
open all year. The Christmas
season for the store began on
Sept. 1 and ends the day after
Christmas with a half-price sale.
The store also has a bridal
registry, jewelry, antiques and
other decorative items. Cain
says the store wants to be a
trendsetter in design for the
area.
"We want people to come in
and visit," he says, "not just
spend money. It's a store that
can't be seen in 15 minutes. Peo
ple have to really look and take
time shopping."
The Christmas Store will sell
gifts and decorations for under
$20 at the MSC Craft Center's
Christmas Craft Fair.
If you are looking for more
country-style, homemade
Christmas decorations visit
Christmas Creations, located in
Woodstone Shopping Center. A
designer is available to put
together silk flower arrange
ments, door wreaths or center-
pieces to customer's specifica
tions, says store manager Weno-
nah Nagy.
She says that along with
Christmas trees, decorations
and crafts, the store carries brass
items and fireplace sets as well
as seasonal decorations.
A customer can buy a fully-
decorated tree for $500, she
says. Also, personalizing trees
can be done.
"We will go to a home and
decorate the tree for no extra
charge," Nagy says. The store
also will decorate store win
dows.
Another theme tree is the
chocolate tree that can be deco
rated in the home for about $400.
The store also stocks items so
that customers can do their own
designs.
Christmas Creations sells an
import tree from Germany —
the Vienna Woods Tree — for
about $150. The store also has
flocked trees. The trees are first
sprayed with glue, she says,
then flocked and then sprayed
with glue again.
One of the more popular
items sold is a bell swag for the
door, she says.
Various designs for decora
tions can be made for as little as
$5 to about a maximum of $30,
she says. Customers can buy
straw wreaths, which sell for 99
cents, and make their own.
Future plans may include
staying open all year, Nagy
says. The store opened during
the Christmas season, she says,
to see if this area had a market
for this type of store. So far, the
market has been good.
"I think people want this kind
of store, she says. "But it's hard
letting them know about us."
Red River Pottery is a franch
ise out of Marshall, she says,
and Christmas Creations is the
14th store. If the store remains
after the Christmas season, it
will move to a new location and
carry merchandise such as
linens, wicker, brass, frames,
photo by Dean Saito
One of the many Christmas trees on
display at The Christmas Store.
lottery, stoneware and silk for Halloween and Thanksgiv-
lowers.
1.
She says no decisions have
been made yet and if the store
does remain, it probably will
close until sometime after Jan. 1.
Because the store opened in
October, seasonal decorations
ing also have been sold along
with the Christmas merchan
dise.
"People are more interested
in decorations — wreaths and
centerpieces — for other holi
days now," she says, "not just
Christmas."
photo by Dean Saito
Miniature figurines from a porcelain
village at The Christmas Store.
Local stores set
for Christmas rush
by Mary E. Macan
Battalion reporter
It's about that time of year to
bring out the dusty jingle bells,
start writing Christmas lists and
start buying Christmas gifts.
The Christmas rush soon will be
upon us — or maybe it's already
started.
Sharon Kaufhold, co-owner
of Containers & More, said peo
ple are already shopping for
Christmas gifts.
"Sales have started to in
crease because early Christmas
oppers have started buying,"
Kaufhold said.
Shala's Apparel Gallery own
er Debbi Riley said she has seen
an increase in business within
the last week. Riley attributes
the recent increase to the weath
er. She said the cold spell puts
people in a Christmas mood.
Alan Fredericks of Kelly's
Toylane believes the Christmas
rush has begun already.
"This year is better already
than last year in terms of sales,"
he said. "And we anticipate an
even greater increase in sales."
Bicker Cain of The Christmas
Store said business has in
creased since September. He
credits the early increase to the
seasonal products the store car
ries.
1982 was a slow economic
year and some local businesses
experienced a slight decrease in
Christmas sales.
"The recession hit us last year
at about this time and we had a
kind of slow year," Fredericks
said. "We had some decrease in
growth of sales last year com
pared to 1981. In 1981 people
had more money to spend on
gifts."
Terry Stegall of Zale's Jewelry
said the recession somewhat
affected the jewelry market.
"We haven't had a bad year
because the jewelry market has
been good," he said. "And this
year has been a good, strong
year."
In light of last year's reces
sion, some local stores have be
gun promoting Christmas to sti
mulate buying.
David Pollack of Dillard's said
the store's sales are increasing
so soon mainly because of some
store promotion.
"We are trying to get custom
ers in the gift giving mood ear
lier," Pollack said.
Although Christmas shop
pers already are searching for
the perfect gift, the busiest rush
is yet to come.
Pollack said the two days fol
lowing Thanksgiving are typical
busy shopping days because it is
the traditional start of the holi
day season and most consumers
are off work.