Loyalty rings Christmas registers for area stores

Year after year, Turney Luke sees the same faces in his Kittanning clothing store around Christmas.

"You look for them every year," said the owner of the 700 shop.

While the variety and number of local retailers have decreased, the shopping habits around the holidays seem just as vibrant, he said.

There are certain qualities and services the Market Street store offers that larger retailers don't, he said, which may be why the same shoppers keep coming back. The store features mostly men's clothing in iconic brands of suits, coats, hats, sweaters, jackets, hooded sweatshirts, shoes and dress shirts.

"We have unique things that you don't find everywhere," he said.

Purchases are gift-wrapped for free, he said, which ends up costing the business about $2,000 per year. It's an old service, Luke said, and could be why customers keep coming back.

Or it could be the size selection which ranges from small to very tall. Instead of "wandering aimlessly" through a department store or mall, Luke said the shop's loyal customers have kept this time of year a fruitful one.

"There's some people that you only see during the Christmas season," he said.

Things have changed, though, Luke said, but mostly in town. There were four other men's clothing stores in downtown Kittanning when the 700 Shop opened 25 years ago, he said.

But nothing has changed negatively as far as the shop is concerned, he said.

"Downtown is still here," he said. "This is where we choose to be."

Other local retailers bank on their special services to attract and keep shoppers at Christmas. Connie Peters, manager of Kittanning News, said if a book or magazine isn't on the store's shelves, they'll try to order it or acquire a copy by some other means.

Christmas shopping has been the same for the past 30 years at the Market Street location, she said. Christmas ornaments are always in high demand and people still send holiday greeting cards.

"We're grateful for that," she said.

An in-store repair service has helped business grow in the past 10 years, said Chris Dilick, owner of Dilick's 5th Avenue Jewelry store in Ford City.

"We're doing better every year," he said.

Word-of-mouth advertising from regular customers has brought new shoppers in from Pittsburgh, Butler, Clarion and Indiana, he said.

"Most of our customers are old standbys who have shopped since we opened," he said.

Dilick said, while fixing a watch for a customer, that the in-store services and family atmosphere may be reasons why customers choose the small jeweler over large chain stores.

"If you run your business like old times, that pays off," he said.