NEW ORLEANS — With three days till Christmas, shoppers are crowding local shops trying to find last-minute presents. It is a welcome boost for New Orleans businesses after an unpredictable year.
Alison Todd, owner Magic Box Toys on Magazine Street, told WWL Louisiana the store’s holiday shopping rush was delayed. “Usually we start strong right after Thanksgiving but I think with people worrying a little more about money this year, it’s picked up closer to Christmas,” she said.
That pickup did happen, though. The store was busy Friday, something Todd said she had seen in the days prior as well.
Magic Box Toys has been on Magazine Street for 20 years. As Todd explained, her shop offers an experience you cannot get in a national chain store.
“We have stuff that’s very specialized to different age groups,” she said. “You go to those big-box stores and you can’t take it out of the package, you don’t know what it feels like, you don’t know what it looks like.”
Downtown, another store has had a successful holiday season selling more grown-up presents.
Crazy Plant Bae “gets a lot of people who get plants as presents, we do a lot of gift cards this time of year, host gifts for people going to a friends or families house,” said owner Teresa Thomas.
The business started as a pop-up. Then two years ago, Thomas and her family opened the brick-and-mortar store on Claiborne Avenue. She said this December has been slow for the store, but like Magic Box, business has picked up closer to Christmas.
Shoppers benefit from Thomas’ extensive knowledge of plants. “They like the customer service and the interest we put into making sure they choose the right one,” she said. “We are really excited to see each customer and be able to share our love of plants.”
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the new FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.