COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- The holiday shopping season is in full swing, but are shoppers buying?
Despite the bleak economy some downtown Colorado Springs store owners say that they are having the best year ever.
Shoppers stroll up and down the streets searching for the perfect holiday gifts.
"I wanted to get a funny hat for my son," said Shanon Lawson, a holiday shopper.
Shoppers say downtown offers more than a traditional mall.
"I travel a lot and there are malls everywhere, I mean, I don't know, this is unique. This has a unique flavor to it and it's got a I don't know, a certain ambiance," said Laureen Madore, a holiday shopper.
Madore travels all the way from Silverthorne each year just to get a taste of home.
"We went to high school at Palmer and I don't know, we're just very much a part of the old community, so it's fun to us," said Madore.
Local businesses say this has been one of their best years in awhile, despite the down economy.
"Oh it's been really fun, we are so pleased. Downtown has had a vitality that I remember from several years ago but we haven't seen quite so much in the last couple years," said Chris Sondermann, owner of Terra Verde.
Store owners say it's the unique items and personalized shopping experience that keeps customers coming back.
"We're very much a specialty shop and we don't have stuff that you're going to find everywhere, and I think kids aren't getting as many big presents so we're doing a lot of stocking stuffers, a lot of magic tricks, a lot of juggling supplies," said Mark Modeer, President of Zeezo's Inc.
Customers say they enjoy helping out their local community.
"I really want to support the businesses because I don't want to see anything else go out of business downtown," said Lawson.
Another possible reason for the shopping success this year is that the Downtown Partnership has been promoting shopping downtown and offering incentives, like free parking, downtown gift cards, and Christmas carolers on the weekends.
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