News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Prattscape Antique and Gift Shop owner Doug Pratt hangs lights on one of the Christmas trees on display at his store, which opens Monday at the Harborside Center in downtown Alpena. Pratt said he is excited to be downtown and be a part of its growth.

ALPENA — When customers walk through the doors of Prattscape Antique and Gift Shop at its new location at Harborside Center, they will be welcomed by quality furniture, decor, knick-knacks, and the shop’s famous Christmas decorations.

The popular store, which has won the Sunrise Side Best of the Best Award for antique stores several years in a row, moves downtown from its former location in The Alpena Mall, to the shipping center in downtown Alpena, where workers are setting up displays and readying the store for customers, and for the holiday season.

Owner Doug Pratt said the new store will be a touch different than his previous ones, and will focus more on quality items from yesteryear.

“We know that is what the community is looking for,” Pratt said. “We’ll still sell gifts and we’ll still do our Christmas display, but we’ll have a lot more antiques than we had in the past, and we’ll be seeking out better quality so the public sort of has the best-of-the-best to buy.”

Although some interior work continues, Pratt said the plan is to open on Monday.

“It will continue to be a work in progress, but we’ll be open and people will be able to come in and start looking at everything we have,” he said.

Pratt said one of the things that made the new spot attractive was its location. He said now, he will be in the heart of the action downtown, which is growing, and welcome more foot traffic than what had been at the mall. He said he is impressed with what the Alpena Downtown Development Authority is doing downtown and wanted to be a part of that.

“I looked at what the DDA (did) and I wanted to be a part of it and the many events,” he said. “You have the Blues Festival, Brown Trout Festival, parades and so many other events. I see how the downtown is flourishing and I just felt it was important for us to become a part of that.”

Pratt said the store is on the verge of beginning to set up its massive Christmas display. He said the store is recognized statewide for the size and creativity of the display, which he said takes weeks to put together. He said he is excited for the first holiday season downtown and joining the other businesses in celebrating Christmas.

“Christmas means a lot to me,” Pratt said. “We are one of the largest Christmas displays in this area and we are going to continue to decorate in a big way at the new store.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.