Despite the mild weather and near absence of snow on the ground, the holiday spirit will be in the air here tomorrow as the “Christmas Store” kicks off the Yuletide season with an open house.
“A lot of people seem to enjoy our open house. There’s lots to see, and it’s kind of a meeting place,” said Donna Lowey, who is running the Christmas Store with her husband, Blair, for its 11th year.
The Christmas Store is located on McIrvine Road, north of Canadian Tire, where the Clover Valley Farmers’ Market sets up during in the summer.
Lowey noted it is looking to be jam-packed with a variety of vendors.
“We’ve got a few new ones, and even the people we’ve had in the past are back with some new merchandise,” she remarked.
Shoppers can expect to see arts and crafts, Christmas and everyday-themed gifts and decor, along with locally-made specialty foods like perogies, cabbage rolls, sausages, maple syrup, honey, Christmas cakes, and (on Saturdays only) fresh baking from Iris Gogosha.
Lowey also noted there will be numerous in-store specials for tomorrow’s open house. “You’ll just have to come out to see what they are,” she hinted.
The store will be open every day until Dec. 24, during which time there also will be various fundraisers by charities like the Riverside Foundation for Health Care and Friends of Animals.
The store’s hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on Friday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
