ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The holidays will be upon the area quickly, and the Chamber of Commerce is looking to help people in the area get a start on their shopping.
The 2025 Citywide Holiday Open House will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6 and then during regular business hours Nov. 7 and 8. Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rozelle Webb said she and staff are excited for this year.
“We're inviting and encouraging all the participating 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,” 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 they want to be part of this year's fun. We'd like the businesses to let us know ahead of time because we'll be putting together a list of all the participants so customers will know where to go. The Holiday Open House is always a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, and it's a great chance for shoppers to get out and about and see what's on sale. It's also a great way for us as the Chamber of Commerce to promote our local businesses.”
Webb said she hopes to see many local businesses decked out for the holidays.
“This is a great chance to get people in your store and get some holiday merchandise off the shelves. And 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 to 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. So far, we've got about 10 businesses signed up, and we've got more we're expecting to hear from in the coming days as far as whether or not they'll officially be part of everything for this year.”
The Holiday Open House is also a great opportunity for shoppers, Webb said.
“It's a great time to get out and about and maybe get some ideas for Christmas gifts either for yourself or something you'll want to get for a family member. It's always fun seeing people out that weekend and walking around and shopping with the stores all decorated for the holiday,” Webb said. “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. 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.”
Webb said she is looking forward to seeing shoppers out and about that weekend.
“We love to help our businesses kick off the holiday season and show them off to everyone, and this is a perfect event to do that. I also do some shopping myself, and there are always a lot of goodies to partake in while being out and about,” Webb said. “Overall turnout can depend on the weather, but we usually see a pretty good crowd of shoppers that weekend in terms of locals and people who come in from out of town. We will get the list of businesses published in the newsletter that will be going out early next week, and we'll probably even add a few after that goes out. Next Wednesday is when we'll compile the final list and take copies to the businesses that are participating so shoppers will have that, and we'll also share that on our social media pages for people to see. We love doing this event every year, and since shopping trends have changed throughout the years, we need to be sure and keep people shopping locally and supporting small businesses.”
Overall, Webb said, the more, the merrier.
“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,” Webb said. “We're really glad to be able to share our support for local small businesses with a big event like this. I'm hoping we'll see big crowds like in past years, and we advertise this event in other communities in the area, so anyone and everyone is welcome to take part. 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!”
