Life

Downtown stores dress up for Christmastime

ALPENA -- Despite Thanksgiving only recently coming to pass, one can't take three steps in downtown Alpena without being greeted by the sight of Christmas lights and decorations ushering the city into the most wonderful time of the year.

Outside of the wreaths and ribbons that adorn the various streetlamps or the tree that stands at Culligan Plaza, downtown stores are also looking to spread the holiday cheer.

One such store is Cedar and Threads, which sports an array of family Christmas symbols.

"Nov. 1, we were already working on our Christmas stuff," said Ceder and Threads owner Michele Koester. "We have the Santa, Christmas trees, and snowflakes to kind of make it decorative and fun and festive but also not forgetting about the outside. At night, our Bigfoot glows red."

Another downtown store that looks to evoke the feeling of the holidays is PRATTscape's Antique and Gift Shop. According to employee Valiere Vance, that store's Christmas display was a group effort, though Vance was sure to point out that a majority of the vision came from store owner Doug Pratt.

"He has a vision," said Vance. "If you look around and you see all the different trees, you'll see that each one has its own theme. We have several different themes."

According to Vance, the store is looking to create a Christmas for everyone, something that can catch someone's eye.

While PRATTscape's looks to evoke wonder in those who see its holiday display, the Christmas display at Traveling Ladders looks more toward nostalgia.

"We wanted customers to feel like they're walking into a family member's house or their own home, just kind of decorated for the holidays, in a sense," said the father of the owner of Traveling Ladders, Tom Downs. "We want people to feel welcomed and comfortable and remind them of Christmases from when they were children."

Olivet Book and Gift's display is more spiritual, according to store owner Mary Rajasekhar. The display is handled by her longtime employee, Jeanne Cornelius, who sees it not just as a time of the year but as a spiritual thing.

"I feel really like she considers those display windows to be a part of her ministry," said Rajasekhar. "We just feel like the Lord opened up this corner for us 34 years ago. And any way that we can make our presence and his presence known by every single person that goes by on the two main highways that go through our town, that responsibility we take very seriously. So, hopefully, every time somebody looks at those windows, they are uplifted."