Northtown Packed With Holiday Shoppers

Melissa Johnson and Rachael Davis of Chewelah, Wash., leaned over the rail and laughed uproariously at the mass of humanity below. From the top floor, NorthTown Mall shoppers on the lower floor looked like fish in a bowl.

While some moved with a sense of purpose, others appeared to drift aimlessly. Some just didn’t move.

But what caught the eyes of Johnson and Davis was the eclectic mix of people gathered at the mall the day after Thanksgiving, one of the busiest shopping day of the year.

“There’s a lot of … different people here,” said a chuckling but diplomatic Johnson, 15.

“We’ve been here for most of the day,” added Davis, 14. “We’ve seen so many pierced people. Noses, lips, eyebrows - everything.”

For the next few weeks, shoppers and people watchers will flock to NorthTown in droves to prepare for upcoming holidays.

“It’s very heavy traffic,” said Kim Frank, manager of Fred Meyer Jewelers.

Unlike most retail stores, Frank said jewelry merchants will start seeing increased sales closer to Christmas.

“Most of them are just looking right now. And besides, that’s just the way men shop,” Frank said.

Being a merchant this time of year takes more than just opening up the doors and letting folks in. Managers have prepared their staffs for the holiday season the way coaches prepare sports teams for their seasons.

“I think the biggest thing is making sure that we’re adequately staffed,” Frank said.

As for shoppers, it’s still early in the game. For now, they aren’t feeling overwhelmed by mall crawlers.

“I’m here all the time anyway,” said Greg Jordan, a 43-year-old South Hill resident. “I love to shop.”

Tommy Martin, 47, said he is still scouting for gifts early in the shopping season.

He said he doesn’t mind shopping, but he did say that navigating the mall’s parking lot was a bit difficult.

Not everybody was at the mall to shop. Tim Buchanan, 19, took time out of his busy mall schedule last week to get some food. And sustenance wasn’t all that was on his mind.

“It’s time to get my eats on, talk with the honies (girls), you know,” Buchanan said.

However, one shopper confessed to being a little burned out on the mall crawl after just her first day.

“All I did was look for a Christmas dress for myself,” said 24-year-old Sheena McLeod. “I thought that would be easy, but all I am is tired of looking at dresses.”

Yet, in the sometimes frantic moments that tend to mark the holidays, McLeod said she is going to keep it all in perspective.

“This is a wonderful time of year,” she said. “It’s a time of family and celebrating the birth of Jesus.”