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"it's been just incredible," said Stu Gibson of Gibson Sound and Vision on Columbia Street in Waterloo. "People are spending their money on home entertain- ment in a big way. "lt's been our season to shine." Gibson said hid store has seen no signs of the reported finam cial downturn that has hit A burst of business, which began weeks before Christmas, carried on through the holidays to give local store owners a very happy newyear. e ground may be covered in I white stuff, but it's been a green holiday season for many area retailers. Local retailers enjoy green Christmas utikhtghertttkttort'trmimu- In past years, the Angel Ttee, where vol- unteers collect new, unwrapped toys for children of all ages, was' set up at Westmount Mall in Waterloo. _However, with Clarica's acquisition of the Westmount Road mall. the campaign committee chose to' move the symbolic tree to-Conestoga Mall, and rename the toy drive the Tree of Angels. . "It was a bit dimEun for us," Oakley said. "Different people were asking where it was. But overall, he said, changing the loca- tion of what's become the centrepiece of the annual local toy drive did little to hin- der the holiday campaign. In fact, as in other years, great commu- nity support enabled the campaign to reach its target, and gave between 4,400 and 4,500 needy children a gift to open Christmas morning. "We did very Well and the need was met," said Oakley of the saltaition Army, thte, coT_muplty group behind the toy drive. . He did admit, however, the campaign's new name anduocation did. pose a few added challenges for the organizing com- mittee. s en anxious residents started Wghoning the Salvation Army ask- ing, "Where's the Angel Tree?", Major Don Oakley was a little worried. FACTORY SHOWROOM 21 Allen St. W. 585-10” MmuWai 9-5, Thurs. tk F" W6. Sat 10-4 WWW, Br Arman Bum Chronicle Staff BY ANDREA BAILEY Chronicle Staff we T1 "I couldn't get enbugh DVD players this year," he said. f'We were literally selling them by the truckload, N "And very few people are going for the VCRs or playin television packages anymore". "I guess instead of going down south, people have decided to spend their money on their home entertainment." Andrea Armstrong, marketing director at Conestoga Mall, said the many facets of the economy. "We don't even talk about that here," he said. Gibson said the big-ticket items this season have been DVD play- ers, big-screen high-end television sets upward of 43 inches in size. and complete surround-sound systems. , and why it wasn't at Westmount Mall any- take time for people to adjust. Going for- mers. _ _ - _ ' A _ - - __ ward, I'm sure 1werythingwill be fine." KOOL-FM's Valerie Corcoran, right. dropped off another load of presents recently during the annual Tree of Angels toy drive at Conestoga Mall. Helping collect the gifts were Evan Meredith, three. brother Calvin, six, and mom Laura. _/tww 'nf/idx, .Wsegesd" fe)2, "But it's just dne of those things that will Sdrrs. lawman and occasional chain m a and: array cl dougrm Ruby-cs ConstraMy chongmg, umque occassovm and lamps from the fur reaches of in wodd, displayed In a renovated century ak, furniture below 0 Solo: q Dining Sets . Bar & Comm Stools q Rugs 0 Lorain . Accessories q Electric Fireplaces . Manhls .7/frP Syn/y fsf .%'tesw: Um»; 'g'g'n'.‘¢'.'.'.'.'A'.'o'o (-22“. PAGE 3 "The last two weeks before Christmas, we were more than busy," she said. "We can definitely say the traitic numbers through the mall were comparable to the year local shopping centre also expel} enced a healthy traffic flow most of the festive season. "It's been just incredible. People are spending their money on home entertainment in a big way. It's been our season to shine. " - Stu Gibson Gibson Sound and Vision Despite a siow'starti" Oakley said the Gary Bonneville, owner of McPhail's sports store in uptown Waterloo, said he was afraid the mild weather, and the lack trf out- door ice, would put a damper on his holiday business But harms surprised to see his sales actually surpass last year's "'Bul nod, with all the sales that have been and are still going on, it's been a very busy plre" Armstrong admitted most shoppers seemed to get off to a slower start this year; a trend she attributed lo the mild weather. "The weather was a factor, being that it was so nice for so long." she said. "People just weren't in Christmas buying (model until the last couple weeks." before. and last year was a very good Christmas for us." - 'Now, we will just hominue to monitor the need into the new year," he said. Oakley ail doriations came in up to the last minute. and some were still yet to arrive after Christmas. Those toys, he said, will be put in stor- age, and will likely be used to give the cam- paign head-start next year. "People who are confined in nursing homes knit mittens and scarves for us, which are always needed. And little kids enjoy knowing they are helping someone else. It really gives you a lift to see." "It's families, people of all ages, from three- or four-year-olds to 99-yearolds." he said. "We see a lot of good things happen dun ing the toy drive," he said. "People really enjoy helping others in the community, which is very encouraging for us to see" What's more heah-Garming, Oakley said. is that the spirit of generosity comes from all walks of life. "it's almost like it psychologically clicked for people. When they saw the snow and colder weather. they started thinking about Christmas more" campaign wrapped up on a high note. "Donations were rketty sldiV in coming in right up until theflast week." he said. "I think it had a lot to do with the weather. _ And with that realization, Oakley said, came obvious joy in the faces of those malt. ing the donations. Bonneville said hit post- Christmas sales have been on the slower side; but he expects busi» ness to pick up with the cunent cold snap. ' McPhail's top-selling items for Christmas incl-dew cle parts and accessories, and, to Bonneville's amazement, are skates. "The skates were right up there," he said. "I didn't think they would be with the weather. but theywere. "But overall. I'd have to describe it as a good bike Christmas." totals. without the help of colder conditions. "TWO weeks before Christmas things just went crazy." Bonneville said. "And we're not quite sure why"