LANCASTER, Pa. — The holiday shopping season will begin following Thanksgiving, and in the retail district along North Queen Street in Lancaster, the season is sure to bring a significant increase in foot traffic.
Christi Albert owns Elister’s Elixers, an organic wellness and vintage store on Queen Street. She says with more business also comes more interaction with the wider community.
"We do probably three times the sales as any other month of the year, in the month of December," Albert said. "Everyone comes out during the holidays, and so it's good to see a lot of familiar faces."
One challenge the businesses face is that there are fewer of them. A number of shops on Queen Street have closed or moved, along with a popular restaurant which helped drive traffic. That also comes with the trend towards online shopping in recent years.
Paige Hammill of the Redeaux Vintage store says community outreach like an upcoming vintage market at Franklin and Marshall College has helped keep the brick and mortar business alive.
"We are always talking about the shop and inviting people to come in and visit with us and do shopping sessions and personal styling," Hammill said. "Seeing the physical product in store is always, I think, more genuine than only shopping online."
The businesses are hoping the holidays bring more genuine shopping in-person, and that Lancaster shoppers see the value of buying and supporting local.
"It's really important to have the community come out and support us and support local businesses," Albert said. "And there's no gift quite like a handmade gift here from Lancaster."