Jill Ball, store manager at Bella Donna, a boutique and spa at 16 Mechanic St. in Gorham, said shoppers are spending now that oil and gas prices are down.
A lot of people were buying local when the gas prices were up, “which was nice for us,” Ball said.
Ball said Bella Donna has featured sales to lower prices with bigger sales for Christmas.
For Christmas this year, Bella Donna brought back a men’s night on Dec. 11 for the guys shopping for their wives and girl fiends. Bella Donna provided a complimentary happy hour with beer, wine and hors d’oeuvres besides free giftwrapping. Ball said the special event was successful despite the weather.
“It would have been better but it was the night of the storm,” Ball said.
Maeghan French recently reopened the hair part of the spa at Bella Donna, which also does manicures and pedicures. Ball said French has been giving discounts and the bargain basement has offered 60 percent off items. “I’ve been doing specials for Christmas,” Ball said. “The basement and handbags will be on sale right through Christmas.”
Bella Donna gave a special Christmas discount to a woman who spent $1,000 buying 23 handbags for wives of local men serving in Iraq.
Webkins, stuffed animals with codes that allows kids to interact with them on line, are hot items this year at Bella Donna. Some of the Webkins have been available for Christmas at Bella Donna as buy one, get one free.
Cutline (Bella Donna retail) – Jill Ball, left, and Maeghan French of Bella Donna, a boutique and spa in Gorham, say Webkins are hot items this Christmas.Send questions/comments to the editors.
