And that's a wrap: Retailers ready for frenzied weekend holiday shoppers
Dec. 22—Last-minute sales, Christmas Eve bowling and mounds of brisket are greeting local consumers heading into the final days of holiday shopping.
Retailers are pushing deals in a last-chance effort to entice traditional Christmas shoppers.
Along with sales, Boscov's Eastwood Mall department store continues offering free gift boxes, wrapping paper and even bows for items bought at the Niles, Ohio, store, said store manager Diane Faith.
"People are being real price conscious this year," Faith said.
Nearby Reyers Shoe Store in the mall had also offered sales on its shoe selection.
After being in downtown Sharon for over 130 years, Reyers moved to the larger Niles market two years ago.
"A lot of our market didn't know we moved," said Mark Jubelirer, who co-owns the store with his brother, Steven. "We boosted our marketing to tell people we're now in Eastwood, and it has been paying off."
Consumers shop for casual shoe styles these days, Jubelirer added.
"The world has changed and gotten more casual in every way," he said.
For a seventh consecutive year, Reyers won Footwear Insight magazine's Gold Service Award.
ICG Hobbies & Games at Eastwood Mall also has a Sharon connection: Its downtown Sharon store continues operating after 10 years. Both sites offer a wide range of products such as board and card games, and the Sharon store also offers live game playing.
"One of our big sellers here is the mystery board game where customers buy a wrapped box without knowing what the game is," Ruthanne Shell, manager of ICG's Eastwood Mall store, said.
For those yearning to keep up with pop culture a mall store made a play to capitalize on Time magazine's Person of the Year with the book "96 Facts About Taylor Swift" with promises of "Quizzes, Quotes, Questions, and More!"
Eastwood Mall in Niles is staying open until 10 p.m. on Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday. The Shenango Valley Mall in Hermitage is open until 8 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. Grove City Premium Outlets in Springfield Township is open until 9 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday. But stores at all three locations may set their own hours, so it's best to call ahead.
Smoky Martin's BBQ in Hermitage is offering weary shoppers a respite from cooking with a "holiday brisket," which is smoked and cooked over 15 hours.
"This brisket is like the bacon of the cow," Ron Martin, owner of the restaurant, said. "It just melts in your mouth."
Customers can order the brisket with a meal to dine in the restaurant or for takeout, which can be made ready to eat or chilled so it can be reheated. The brisket can be bought by the pound.
Smoky Martin's is open 11 a.m to 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Valley Fuel, a gas station and convenience store on Division Street in Farrell, recently was bought by Ali Wekhyan who upgraded the store, added clothing and toy products and installed new gas pumps. The gas is on sale for $2.99 a gallon, about 35 cents cheaper than some nearby Pennsylvania gas stations, he said.
"My plans are to keep it at that price for a month or until people realize that we are open and are here," Wekhyan said.
But he has competition. The Farrell Speed Check gas station's sign a couple hundred yards down the road shows it's also selling gas at the same price.
10 Pin Alley in Hermitage is staying open from noon Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday and then reopening 11 a.m. Sunday and then closing at 5 p.m. Along with bowling the fun center offers an arcade and food.
"We've been doing this for years," owner Richard Marano said. "There's lots of people who want to come in and bowl on Christmas Eve."
Marano's family, his wife Amy and sons Kiel and Ryan also work at 10 Pin. The center is closed only two days a year — Thanksgiving and Christmas.
If he could pull it off, Marano would love to be open on Christmas.
"I know we would get crushed with lots of bowlers," he said.
But family considerations of having the day off outweigh opening.
"My main help is my family," Marano said.
