Lodi merchants prepare for busy Christmas shopping season

The Christmas shopping season traditionally begins on the morning after Thanksgiving. That day, known as Black Friday, is when shoppers line up outside stores ready to take advantage of sales and beat the procrastinators to the hot holiday items.

However, for merchants in Lodi and other cities across the country Christmas begins much earlier. They have to plan, order items and decorate to insure that they're ready for the rush of holiday shoppers.

At Lodi Cooks kitchenware store in Downtown Lodi, employees are handling a rush of customers looking for gifts for friends or relatives, or a special item for a holiday dinner. (Gena Lindsay/News-Sentinel)

"I start planning Christmas in June," said Shelley Phillips, owner of 2-Illuminate at 11 N. School St. in Lodi. "I'm always six months ahead in my world."

As Christmas nears, Lodi shoppers are gearing up for a month of retail, wrapping and receipts. So too are Lodi's merchants, from the big-box retailers on Kettleman Lane to Downtown's specialty boutiques.

At 2-Illuminate, which specializes in soaps, candles and oils, an entire Christmas shopping section is erected for holiday shoppers. Among the popular items during the season are candles that give off scents reminiscent of the holiday, such as apple, cinnamon and other spices, Phillips said.

"They smell like Christmas," she said. "When you think of Christmas and those warm, inviting smells, that's what these candles smell like."

Also popular during the Christmas season are collectible Fitz & Floyd ceramic figurines of Santa Claus, reindeer and other holiday characters, Phillips said. The store's Paper Plum business has also been busy with personalized Christmas cards, which have been in demand for more than a month already.

"People started ordering (Christmas cards) in October," Phillips said. "I probably still do three orders a day."

Things have been hopping since mid-November at Lodi Cooks at 5 W. Pine St. Owner Teresa Puzon said the holiday season brings two different types of shoppers: Those looking for gifts for friends and family, and those looking for appliances to prepare Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.

"It's great," Puzon said. "We can sell turkey basters for your turkeys or a gift for somebody's home."

The kitchenware and appliances store received its first big holiday rush in the weeks before Thanksgiving, Puzon said. Shoppers have left with bags full of mashed potato bowls, thermometers and cake pans, as well as wrapped gifts to be opened in December.

"We're bustling right now, and we're very much enjoying it," Puzon said.

Downtown Lodi features many different stores where shoppers can find everything they need for the holiday season. There's The Wine Rack, 101 S. School St., where all types of varieties and wine accessories can be found; Frames and Fine Things, 18 W. Pine St., which features frames, paintings and other collectibles; and Borelli Jewelers, 9 N. School St., which showcases fine jewelry.

The area is also dressed up with lights, streamers and decorations to celebrate the holiday season, said Pat Patrick, president and CEO of the Lodi Chamber of Commerce. With the Parade of Lights and other Christmas-related activities in the downtown area, shoppers are likely to feel the joy of the holiday all about them as they walk down School Street.

Wine and various other holiday items line the decorated shelves at 2 Illuminate on School Street in Downtown Lodi. (Gena Lindsay/News-Sentinel)

"It puts you in the Christmas spirit," Patrick said.

Downtown isn't the only place where shoppers can find holiday treasures in Lodi. At The Home Collection at 1421 S. Ham Lane, people can discover hard-to-find tree ornaments or personalized engravings that make wonderful gifts, said owner Julie Bonselaar.

The most popular gift this year are the Tilano Fresco tiles, which can be personalized with photos or etchings, she said. Made with raw Italian marble, the tiles can hang on the wall or be set on counters. There is even a set of coasters that can be personalized.

While other merchants are planning months in advance for Christmas, however, Bonselaar chooses to wait until after Thanksgiving. After all, if you spend the whole year planning for the holiday, it can lose some of its magic, she said.

"Before you know it, Christmas is going to be starting right after the Fourth of July," she said.

Contact Business Editor Greg Kane at gregk@lodinews.com.