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Photos courtesy of Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.
Shops in Crestline will decorate for the holidays and feature special sales the day of the Holiday Open House.
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Photos courtesy of Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce.
Children play in Bryant Bank’s snow globe photo stop at the event in 2023.
Along with its life-size chess board, Crestline is also known for its shopping, with stores that have something for every member of the family. With that in mind, it’s the perfect place for Christmas shopping, and the return of Crestline’s annual Holiday Open House on Thursday is a great opportunity to stock up on gifts.
For over a decade, the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce has hosted the holiday open houses. Participating Crestline Village businesses draw in shoppers — including first-time patrons — by offering discounts and specials, trunk shows and other holiday-related offerings.
Most of the stores in Crestline participate each year, and retailers usually offer unique sales for the event. In previous years, restaurants and boutiques such as Elle have offered signature drinks to their shoppers, and both Santa Claus and live camels have made appearances in front of City Hall.
Shelby Weir, the communications manager for the Mountain Brook Chamber, said that the chamber selects the date and promotes it on social media and throughout the community, and then the store owners decide what kind of special sales and pop-ups they plan to have for that night.
“The community floods the village every year to celebrate and be merry with holiday spirit while taking advantage of amazing sales as the holiday gifting season approaches,” Weir said. “Some places even have an entire party inside their store and invite all their friends and neighbors.”
One of this year’s participating retailers is Please Reply, which specializes in wedding stationery and invitations, along with other small gifts and treats. The store recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.
“We prepare by having extra specials that day,” store owner Paige Smith said. “We make it fun, kind of like the kickoff to the holidays, so we like to make it festive.”
Please Reply has participated in the Holiday Open House all 17 years they have been in Crestline, and they always notice an increase of sales and a positive impact on their business because of the annual event.
“New people come who didn’t know about us beforehand,” Smith said, “and a lot of loyal customers swing by to say hello and just support us that day.”
Smith appreciates not only the increase in foot traffic but also the chance to observe her customers and their excitement about the approaching holidays.
“It gives everyone in the community a time to come together,” she said. “It makes everyone start thinking about Christmas gifts and holiday cards, it makes everyone — the community and the retailers — start getting amped up for the holidays.”
The Crestline Holiday Open House will take place on Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. in Crestline Village and on Church Street.
