We're T-minus 13 days until Christmas. And do you know how I
remembered that I was totally behind on my holiday shopping? I walked through
Northwest Portland. Guess what I saw: beautiful Christmas displays, white
twinkling lights spiraled through the trees and lovely holiday music (not the
annoying kind you hear in the grocery store where Mariah Carey sings, "All
I Want For Christmas" for the 5,000th time) filtering down the street.
Suddenly, it dawned on me: The sky isn't falling, so maybe I
should go buy some gifts for the people I love.
Retailers just don't know how powerful they are. Or maybe
they do. To feel despair after watching CNN and then walk into the
street and feel joy--now that's good stuff. With all the nay-saying and
negative news, gorgeous Christmas displays are sure to cheer consumers up.
The Seattle Times recently reported on downtown Seattle's
efforts to bring holiday cheer to residents, all the while encouraging them to
spend some cash. The Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) is pulling out all the
stops by doing it up big for the holidays. They're suggesting that retailers
put up snazzy holiday light patterns on the sides of their buildings, and
retailers are doing it. They've got carousel rides in Westlake Park and Santa
Claus hanging out in Nordstrom.
The city will also
feature a continuous five-minute light and music show in Westlake Park every
half-hour in the evening (think Bellagio water and light show, without all the
Vegas glam), holiday family photos and more than three dozen lighted displays, including
a tricycle, drum set and toy race car. Those Seattle folks sure do know how to
party, don't they?
Now, while Portland's lovely lights got me back in the
Christmas spirit, the question is: Are pretty lights, displays and Santa enough
to inspire shoppers to spend some cash?
The way I look at it, it can't hurt. We've got to do
something to counter all of the doom and gloom that's out there. Low prices are
a good start to lure shoppers, as is creating an environment that produces
joy. Good ol' fashioned joy never hurt anyone, right? And certainly when one
feels joyful, one wants to shop and spend money. At least that's how I roll.
What about you? Do gorgeous Christmas light displays, light
shows and carousels get you in the holiday shopping spirit? What is your city
doing to encourage shoppers to get out there and do what they do best? Tell us
about it here!
--Heather Strang
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341ca6a453ef0105365dd126970c
I have family in Portland & Eugene, we vist as much as possible...it is not the mid-west right now.....it is plenty grim & getting grimmer (a word?)...we do lots of retail work all over the country & if the major cut backs in both development & retail construction are any indicater of next year, people should be buying gift certificates at the grocers for a truly meaningful & needed gift
This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.
Your comment could not be posted. Error type:
Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author. Post another comment
The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again.
As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments.
I have family in Portland & Eugene, we vist as much as possible...it is not the mid-west right now.....it is plenty grim & getting grimmer (a word?)...we do lots of retail work all over the country & if the major cut backs in both development & retail construction are any indicater of next year, people should be buying gift certificates at the grocers for a truly meaningful & needed gift
Posted by: jerry herschman | December 12, 2008 at 04:30 PM