Trends and Best-Selling Merchandise at Year-Round Christmas Stores

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas – actually, it always does, 365 days a year, at these Christmas stores. In this article, store owners and staff described current trends, best-selling merchandise, and the techniques they use to get customers in the holiday spirit all year long.

At The Christmas Store in Fredericksburg, Texas, Buyer John Mooring said the 10,000-square-foot holiday shop has so much merchandise that specific trends are difficult to pinpoint. “We have everything from cocktail items to animated figures, socks, and books. Gnomes are huge, but they have been for a while. People ask about trends all the time, but here, it’s just about everything Christmas.”

Among Mooring’s best-sellers are Department 56 Villages and European blown glass. “They do very well for us because they are such unique items for the area. We’ve been here 27 years, and everyone knows we have them, and we have lots of regulars, a huge clientele who look for these items.” Additionally, he noted, “We also have hundreds of thousands of tourists coming through our area, and we are right in the heart of downtown, which is an enormous tourist destination.” Because of the store’s location, visitors are looking for Fredericksburg-specific ornaments.

“We have custom-made Fredericksburg pieces that appeal to people here on vacation, visitors who want something to remind them of their visit here for their tree. We have everything from hand-cut wooden ornaments to $80 hand-blown glass.”

In short, getting customers to think about Christmas all year is no challenge at The Christmas Store. “We post on social media quite a bit, but our location is such that we draw people to begin with. As soon as someone walks in the door it is Christmas land, even if it’s the heat of summer, when you walk in our door, it’s a winter wonderland of lighted trees, ornaments, and collectibles.” Mooring added that, “The last two years especially, people want to be happy, and they come in here, with our great displays and great employees, it’s a happy place. Along with the tourists, we have customers who have been coming here for years, and they feel at home when they come in,” he related. “We pride ourselves on our customer services and making sure our customers feel recognized and taken care of.”

In Montrose, Calif., at Holiday House Interiors, Owner Christina Snow agreed with Mooring regarding store trends. “We sell everything, and our customers love everything. People are starved for happiness, especially because of COVID. People are always looking for things that remind them of the pleasures of the holidays, and that is something different for everyone. There’s no one specific trend.”

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