'Holiday-only' merchants spice up mall's seasonal mix

by Paul Wiseman

The mix is as diverse as West Texas winter weather -- merchants from New Hampshire located next to sellers from right here in town.

With its huge footprint and shopping traffic flow, Midland Park Mall is an attractive location for many small seasonal merchants such as Bob Callender of Frame It Art Gallery. A family business, they sell framed prints from artists such as Thomas Kinkade and others.

Usually the Callenders wholesale to retailers around Texas and in other places, working out of their south-of-Midland home. They have added significantly to their sales by locating at the mall the last couple of years.

"We usually sell out what we have," said Callender, explaining that they work through the season to replenish what's sold, but demand usually outstrips their ability to keep up during the holiday season. The Callenders' only other retail foray during the year is the Old Sorehead Trading Days in Stanton.

Callender said the "Black Friday" weekend results were mixed due to the snow, but that the first two weeks of business have been "really good" overall. They set up their booth in early November.

"Weekends are always the strongest," he noted. "A lot of people are just looking; this is the time of year that people get Christmas bonuses and are looking for ways to spend it."

"It's always been worth doing in the past, and we anticipate a good year this time as well because of the oil boom," he added.

Don Doucette and his wife, Heidi, travel the southern U.S. during the winter selling pet ID tags, collars, leashes and designer pet accessories. Hailing from New Hampshire, the Doucettes have spent a lot of cold weather time in Texas, traveling through San Angelo, San Antonio, Abilene and El Paso as well as other warm-climate places.

Their first trip to Midland Park Mall was a two-week stay in June of this year and they liked it so much they decided to return for the very important holiday season. "We really liked the people here," said Don Doucette. He and his wife opened up shop on the Friday after Thanksgiving and they will pack up after Christmas Eve. This time, due to family issues, they expect their next stop to be home in New Hampshire.

After a varied career involving the oilfields of California, auto assembly and finally an instructorship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the Doucettes began retailing pet supplies about 18 years ago. A major part of the business's allure was the opportunity to be self-employed. Plus, as Don noted, "It beats robbing little old ladies" for a living.

He says all their items are made in America from American materials and on American-made equipment. In addition to the ID tags, the Doucettes are known to dispense a little pet care advice when asked.

The Doucettes and the Callenders are two of 11 "holiday only" tenants in the mall this year, a number that is comparable to last year's count, according to mall general manager Jim Miller. That compares with approximately 40 year-round merchants who occupy space in the mall's common areas.

Miller said that placement for holiday merchants, as well as for year-rounders, is based on availability. "We offer holiday tenants their choice of space based on available locations not currently leased. Holiday rents will vary according to location within the mall as well as the actual size of the tenant's setup."

Because of the strong area economy (read: $90-plus oil) the mall has not had to seek common-area tenants in recent years. Miller said they receive numerous requests year-round.

Even seasonal and migratory merchants develop a customer base. "We've seen several repeat customers from June," said Don Doucette.