ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Those looking to get some Christmas shopping done before the holiday rush will soon have just that opportunity thanks to the Liberal Chamber of Commerce.
The 2024 Citywide Holiday Open House will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14 and then during regular business hours Nov. 15 and 16.
“We're inviting and encouraging all businesses to decorate their stores and maybe serve some refreshments to the customers who come in to look at the holiday merchandise they have to offer,” Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rozelle Webb said. “Any stores that would like to participate in this year's Holiday Open House, we would ask them to call the Chamber of Commerce office at (620) 624-3855 and let us know what they'll be doing. We'd like the businesses to let us know ahead of time because we'll be putting together advertising and a list of all the participants so potential customers will know where to go.”
Webb said there is a lot to look forward to for this year’s event.
“The Thanksgiving holiday is a little later this year, so this is a good time to kick off the Christmas season and maybe get a bit of a head start on the shopping,” Webb said. “I'm really looking forward to seeing how the businesses are decorated and seeing what all they'll have on sale. It's also always fun to have a bunch of places to do your holiday shopping because it gives you more variety, and we also want to encourage people to do their holiday shopping here in Liberal before going out of town or going online. My favorite part is that Thursday night, because that's when everything kicks off and all the businesses look especially the best, so it makes for a fun evening of shopping. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone out and about and shopping, and I can't wait to see what the businesses look like. I love seeing that interaction between everyone, and I personally love seeing what merchandise is out.”
Webb also offered encouragement for businesses to participate for this year.
“It's a great time to get people to come into your business and show off what all you have available. And like I said, we will be doing advertising about this, and we want to get as much word out as possible so we can draw in as many potential customers as possible from Liberal and the surrounding area,” Webb said. “I also know a lot of people either get gift ideas or outright start their Christmas shopping with the Holiday Open House. It also makes things a little more festive while shopping, and that also shows some appreciation for the customers who go into those businesses. There's no charge for the businesses to participate, we just want to help them get the word out about them being open and having sales for the holiday season. They'll see more people come into their store to shop, and like I've said in past years, some people who might not have been in that store before could turn into a repeat customer. For any business who wants to participate, if they could let us know by Nov. 12, that'll give us time to get the list together and out to the public so they know where to go shopping. The holiday season especially is a great time to potentially get new customers into your store, so why not decorate and have your best holiday merchandise out and available?”
With that in mind, Webb said she also hopes to see high community turnout.
“Our local businesses are the ones that show the most support for the community, school activities and other major events. They have employees who live right here in town who are supporting their families and the community, and I feel we need to support them back,” Webb said. “I always encourage people to shop Liberal first when it comes to the holidays, and we encourage everyone to come out and see the merchandise available through local stores before going out of town. People also always want to see the merchandise they're purchasing, and this is a good way to do that – they can actually look at the item they're wanting to buy before taking the plunge to officially buy it.”
Overall, Webb said, this year’s Holiday Open House should be a good time for everyone.
“We'll share every business on our Facebook page and do some other promotions so people know where to go for their shopping. And again, any business that would like to participate just needs to get in touch with the Chamber of Commerce office at (620) 624-3855,” Webb said. “Like I said, any and all businesses are more than welcome to participate, and I hope we have many of them sign up. Like I say every year, I encourage everyone to come out and shop and start their holiday shopping for this year. I invite businesses to participate, and I invite everyone in the community to come out that weekend and do some shopping. It's always a really fun environment and we always have a lot of people excited about this, so come out and have fun!”
