Merchants Enjoyed A Successful Holiday Season
Jeri Housholder sells her handcrafted gifts during the final vendor show at Penn Central Mall before Christmas.
December 26th, 2021
Oskaloosa, Iowa – The streets and mall in Oskaloosa were buzzing with people the days and weeks before Christmas.
Many contributing factors led to that, such as a window walk hosted by Oskaloosa Main Street and sponsored by the Golden Goose Club.
Penn Central Mall hosted large craft and vendor shows in the weeks leading up to the holiday, and stores like Gardner-Collier Jewelry enjoyed a steady stream of customers looking for traditional gifts for the people in their lives.
Diane Green from Gardner-Collier Jewelry inside Penn Central Mall said the Christmas season was fabulous.
Last year even during the pandemic, Green said sales were strong. “People are shopping local, and we’re thankful for our repeat customers.”
“Big on engagement rings this year,” added Green. “There’s going to be a lot of proposals this year.”
Jeri Housholder was a vendor selling her hand-made crafts, and she described the activity as good.
Her husband Randy Housholder added that they enjoyed “a pretty decent day. I’m happy.”
“It’s been a good year. I can’t complain,” said Randy, who explained shoppers were looking for quality hand-made items.
Vicki Collette with the Golden Goose Club and the many volunteers were very busy helping window walk participants get ready with all the needed supplies.
Hot chocolate and cookies, of course, but lighted necklaces, a coloring book, and more helped make the adventure special.
In all, 15 stores participated in the inaugural event.
“It’s been fun,” said Collette of the walk.
The walk planning began in April of 2021, and 15 artists drew the posters in the windows.
Participants then voted on their favorite posters.
There had been 160 participants the previous Saturday, while an additional 100 participants had joined in during the first hour of the second week. The line of participants continued to flow after that.
Other than the downtown lights in Oskaloosa that will continue to glow for just a few more days, the Christmas holiday has come and gone for another year.
