Waltham retailers share this year’s biggest gifts
Waltham retailers share this year’s biggest gifts
Now that the turkey and stuffing has been digested, it’s time to turn to holiday shopping. Wicked Local Waltham asked some local businesses which products they expected to be most popular this holiday season.
At Compleat Gamester Inc., now in its new Waverley Oaks Road location, owner John Ackerman said bigger games are “going to do much better” this year. Ackerman said he expects pool and foosball tables to be popular purchases as well as table tennis, which have made a comeback through television exposure.“I think people are a little more confident with the economy,” said Ackerman, which is why he expects big-ticket items to sell better than last year. “I think it’s going to be a fairly good Christmas.”
The Moody Street bookstore expects to see David Sedaris’ book, “Squirrel Seeks Chipmunks,” fly off the shelves. It has been “a bestselling book for the holidays thus far,” said store owner Alex Green. “It’s hilarious, a little twisted, and affordable as a hardcover book, so we’ve gone through quite a lot of them,” he said.
The store has sold out of “The Pacific War Diary,” written by James Fahey, a longtime Waltham resident. “It remains the only diary kept by an American soldier from the entire Pacific Theater in World War II,” said Green. “We hope to be able to get more in before Christmas, cheap pandora beads.
Published at the bookstore is “The Shaking Tent”, the store’s collection of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s sermons delivered in Waltham. It has produced “strong sales,” said Green.Bracelets and charms that are compatible with Pandora brand bracelets are very popular at Marcou Jewelers on Moody Street right now, said owner Bob Marcou.
Pandora bracelets are the “new version of authentic pandora charms,” said Marcou. The bracelets include colorful beads or charms that correspond with many interests. The plain bracelets run for about $45 and the charms range in price from $18 to $40.
Marcou said diamonds, as always, are popular gifts. Engagement ring sales also usually spike around the holidays, he said.The new Beaujolais Nouveau wine just arrived at the store in time for the holidays, said store owner Rick Gordon. The wine pairs well with a holiday meal, he said.For gift giving, Gordon said single malt scotches like Macallan and Lagavulin are popular picks.
Store Manager Randy Aronofsky said the popular gifts this season are less about fancy gadgets and more about staple items such as tape measurers and flashlights, “probably to be used as stocking stuffers,” he said.
The practical nature of these gifts perhaps indicates an uncertain economic climate, said Aronofsky. The store is also selling a lot of firewood and holiday décor, such as lighted wreaths.
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