Sunday, December 24, 2006
Store hours a gift for last-minute Christmas shoppers
Jenny Kincaid Boone
Jenny reports on the latest news on the Roanoke Valley retail industry.
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It's Christmas Eve. You've either finished your holiday shopping, or you're really taking your chances on finding last-minute gifts.
Even though it's Sunday, a number of stores are open to satisfy late shopping needs.
Both Valley View and Tanglewood malls close at 6 p.m., with several department stores keeping their doors open a little longer. Goody's at Tanglewood, for example, will close at 7 p.m.
Some individually owned retailers also are open today. Frank L. Moose Jewelers on First Street in downtown Roanoke is one of them. Geoff Jennings, the owner, typically closes on Sundays but not on Christmas Eve. He's opening the store at 9:30 a.m. and closing at 3:30 p.m.
"I call Christmas Eve our keg day, which basically is men coming in," Jennings said. He plans to have snacks all day at the store.
A survey by the National Retail Federation reports that men are more likely to shop at the last minute.
Another retailer in downtown Roanoke, Dandelion Feet, a shoe store on Church Avenue, will have earlier Sunday hours than usual. Owner Kelly Fleming will sell shoes and other accessories from 10 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m.
Retailers also are marketing gift cards as the perfect last-minute presents.
Take note of various advertisements suggesting gift card giving, such as at Lady Foot Locker at Valley View. There's a sign at the door of the store stating "Gift cards -- a guaranteed favorite."
Individuals will spend on average $190 on gift cards this holiday season, based on a survey by St. Louis-based Maritz Research.
Crossroads Mall
There are more changes to come at Crossroads Mall in Roanoke.
Goody's will close there at the end of January, said Kristin Macht, a spokeswoman for the men, women and children's apparel retailer based in Tennessee. Macht said she did not know the exact day of the closing, but the retailer will shut its doors because "it has been one of our underperforming stores for awhile." Goody's bases store performance on sales and profitability, she explained.
All merchandise is 50 percent off at the Crossroads Goody's, in addition to the store's planned holiday discounts. Its closing will leave two other Roanoke Valley Goody's locations. One is in Salem, and the other is at Tanglewood Mall in Roanoke County.
Also, look for more construction work to take place at Crossroads. The mall has received final approval from the city of Roanoke to build a wall through its middle section. This would separate the mall's interior upper level from its bottom level.
Carleen Stout, who leases space at Crossroads, said a road will be created to run through this section once construction is complete.
The work will not affect the Goody's space, she said. It is unclear what will happen with Goody's retail space once the store closes.
Spoon on the Avenue
Identity problems are one reason that a local coffeehouse and eatery has closed its doors. Spoon on the Avenue, formerly at 2123 Crystal Spring Ave., was created to complement its neighbor Fork in the Alley, a brick-oven style pizza place. But since its opening in early 2006, the owners of Spoon on the Avenue tried to branch out too quickly and failed to establish a niche.
The eatery opened as a coffeehouse, serving light lunches and dinners. It later moved to serving fancy dinners, but business eventually died down, said owner David Trinkle, who also owns Fork in the Alley.
Spoon on the Avenue went back to its coffeehouse roots briefly before closing recently.
The location may reopen in February as a coffeehouse or a restaurant. Currently, Trinkle is renting the space for special events.
Western Sizzlin
The former Western Sizzlin restaurant at 3518 Orange Ave. in Roanoke has changed its name. It's now the Steakhouse. Frank Foti with Viamac, the company that owned local Western Sizzlin eateries, did not return calls for comment about the name change.
The company already changed the name of the former Western Sizzlin restaurant on U.S. 220 in Roanoke. Earlier in the year, the eatery became the Great 611 Steak Co.
Viamac also closed a Western Sizzlin restaurant on 1650 Braeburn Drive at the Ridgewood Farms shopping center in Salem this year. Foti, in an earlier interview, said his company does not plan to reopen the eatery, because it sold the land. Viamac also did not renew its franchise agreement with Western Sizzlin Corp., based in Roanoke, to continue operating the Salem restaurant.
Walker Home
Walker Home has opened in downtown Roanoke at 310 Second St. It's a furniture and home decor shop, specializing in Asian and American antiques.
