Some retail business outlets may rely on research and market trends to predict how the Christmas shopping season will go.
Glen Coffield has a simpler, yet just as accurate, predictor.
He watches as customers enter his store, Town and Country Western Casual Wear, 17 E. Madison Ave.
“I’ll watch how people shop,” he said. “I’ll see them as they come in the store.”
Their enthusiasm, as much as anything, indicates how busy he will be as Christmas â¨approaches.
Early indicators look promising.
“It’s gone very well,” he said. “We had quite a crowd here on Black Friday.”
Now entering his 32nd Christmas shopping season as the store’s proprietor, Coffield said the pace is more relaxed as the calendar turns to December.
That soon will change.
“They’ll start getting a little more frantic as Christmas approaches,” he said with a laugh. “Makes it easier to make a sale.”
TOWN AND COUNTRY specializes in clothing for men and women, boys and girls, with a wide selection of name brands such as Levi’s, Lee, Roper, Wrangler, IZOD and Silver Jeans.
Also popular are cowboy boots, which most certainly are no longer reserved just for cowboys.
Women’s boot lines such as Gypsy and Laredo also entice females of all ages, Coffield said.
COFFIELD also found another reason for holiday cheer. Each Thursday evening up to Christmas, youngsters and their parents will line up to visit Santa’s temporary quarters on the southeast corner of the courthouse square.
The line happens to form directly across the street from Town and Country, Coffield notes.
“We certainly get a few of them to come over here those days,” he said. “It’s fun just to watch them.”
The Iola Area Chamber of Commerce’s Gingerbread Walk also has a display set up in Town and Country’s front store window.
This year’s creation was made by staff and residents at Windsor Place.
TOWN AND Country is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, except for Thursday, when the store is open until 7 p.m. Coffield also is open for business from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Assisting Coffield around the store are employees Morgan Smith and Michelle Clark. Both are in their second year with the store.
“It’s good because we kind of know what to expect,” Smith said. “We’re prepared for it.”
