The holiday shopping season started a little slow at Classy Attic, 15 E. Madison Ave., said Sherry Hart, co-owner with Mary Smith, but “it’s really going good now. People are starting to realize that Christmas is about here.”
To give shoppers ample opportunity, Hart said the store would be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the days leading up to Christmas.
Hart and five part-time employees greet customers. Smith, long an employee of Haldex, is working with the company during the week in its Kansas City office, now that the local plant is closed.
Asked what Classy Attic has to offer, Hart took a minute to collect her thoughts — “I don’t want to overlook anything,” she said — and then rattled off many of the home decor and other items.
“Our Willow Tree Angels line is popular, along with candles, purses and jewelry” and a wide array of decorative framed pictures, she said.
Fancy fudge — a peanut butter variety is particularly good — and coffee, ground or in bean form, also entice those coming to look for something a little different.
Femininity oozes from the store’s shelves and cuts across generations.
“We have things for little girls, tweens, teens and adults of all ages.
Hart marvels at the store’s customer draw, and attributes much of it to location.
“We have a lot of people traveling through town (on U.S. 54) who see our store and stop,” she said.
One woman makes a point to stop by twice each year when trips she has scheduled take her through Iola. Hart said city dwellers often come in during the holiday season and allowed that the slower pace and personal service of such shops as Classy Attic encouraged them drive 100 miles to avoid the crush of shoppers in metropolitan malls.
SOME OF WHAT Classy Attic offers is on sale — Colonial candles are 50 percent off. Those with blue and gold Iola High booster cards get 15 percent off and customers enrolled in the store’s birthday club get a 20 percent discount.
The store also has bridal and baby registries.
The store is nearing its 17th anniversary as a part of Iola’s downtown business district, including seven years in its present location. Hart and Smith’s involvement started a couple of doors to the west as Old Country and moved a block further west before they purchased Classy Attic from Hawk in the old Shannon Hardware building at 20 W. Jackson Ave.
The store took off when it settled into 15 E. Madison Ave., Hart said, where there is ample room for a wide variety of merchandise and “the big windows provide us with lots of space to display what we have.”
The store has free gift wrapping, and those who take advantage are encouraged to leave a donation.
“Donations are split between ACARF (Allen County Animal Rescue Facility) and Hope Unlimited,” Hart said.
In an effort to help ACARF find homes for pets, one large window at the front of Classy Attic holds paper snowflakes, make by SAFE BASE children, with pictures of dogs and cats available for adoption.
