Page 33 - Flathead Beacon // 12.24.14

FLATHEADBEACON.COM
BUSINESS
DECEMBER 24, 2014 | 33
vorites like Hickory Farms, known for its holiday meats and treats, to calen- dars and Christmas-themed gifts.
Some are independent operations, only opening up for a couple of months to snag the Christmas shoppers, while oth- ers are extensions of brick and mortar businesses, either already in the mall or located elsewhere throughout the valley.
A few have found enough success to stay open year round, mall manager and marketing director Eric Peterson said.
“Kiosks bring a good energy out in the mall,” he said. “When you walk by and you get a free sample at Hickory Farms, when you’re out there you can touch and feel and not commit to going into a store, it’s fun, people say hello, it’s friendly. The ambience is really good.”
This year, the mall has filled 100 per- cent of its kiosk space with about 20, and Peterson said he had to create more room by cutting down the maximum al- lowable size for kiosks.
For Angie Olsen, owner of Angie’s Greenhouse in Columbia Falls, this is the first Christmas season she’s had a kiosk at the mall; her plants, arrange- ments and gifts have been featured in a kiosk during Valentine’s Day week.
Olsen’s kiosk, decorated with fes- tive greenery and offering custom-made wreaths as well as gift items like figure skates with wintery scenes hand-paint- ed on them, has been up since November.
Business has been good, she said, though it’s all relative, because she doesn’t have a prior year to compare it
Shoppers peruse Angie’s Greenhouse kiosk in the Kalispell Center Mall. GREG LINDSTROM | FLATHEAD BEACON
various sections of the kiosk, offering calendars, journals, clothing, Montana- centric gifts, and huckleberry creations.
The special section is up from Octo- ber through December. It’s a lot of work, she said, but it’s her favorite kind.
“It is definitely worthwhile,” Ellman said. “I keep busy.”
Rob and Bette Willington drove from New Hampshire to set up shop in the Kalispell mall, with their Home for Christmas kiosk, which sells a variety of Christmas and holiday-themed gifts.
This is their third year at the mall, the second in a kiosk, and they said they love the atmosphere of the holiday sea- son, with shoppers stopping by to say hello or wish them Merry Christmas.
October and November were a bit slow, Rob Willington said, and he sus- pects it had to do with the Canadian dol- lar’s dropping status. Still, the couple said they’ve had a solid season.
“Overall, we’re pretty pleased, and the mall is decorated better than it’s ever been,” Willington said.
Willington grew up in Alberta and used to vacation in the Flathead, and their recent forays into the holiday busi- ness have proven fruitful. Other than the travel and kiosk fee, there isn’t much overhead, and it’s more personal the on- line shopping.
“It’s worthwhile, particularly if you live here,” he said. “It’s not just business; you get to touch so many people’s lives.”
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to. She said it will come down to the last shopping week before Christmas to be sure about profit margins.
Otherwise, it’s been a great way to show customers the array of items her Columbia Falls location offers.
“I think that it’s good advertising for
my other location, because a lot people didn’t know I carry the gift items, like metal art,” she said.
Nearby, the massive Hallmark kiosk works as an extension of the storefront operating in the mall. Store manager Anita Ellman was hustling around the
“KIOSKS BRING A GOOD ENERGY OUT IN THE MALL. WHEN YOU WALK BY AND YOU GET A FREE SAMPLE AT HICKORY FARMS, WHEN YOU’RE OUT THERE YOU CAN TOUCH AND FEEL AND NOT COMMIT TO GOING INTO A STORE, IT’S FUN, PEOPLE SAY HELLO, IT’S FRIENDLY. THE AMBIENCE IS REALLY GOOD.” Eric Peterson, mall manager
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Tanya Jernigan
Your Mother is coming
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Heidi Valentine