Shopping local may be the best option for last-minute holiday shoppers

There’s no shipping to wait for if you buy it at the store

ROANOKE, Va. – While time is running out to get Christmas presents for your loved ones, small businesses are ready and waiting to help you finish your shopping.

Every time a doorbell rings, another business owner sings.

Sports Haven in Roanoke offers a variety of athletic team merchandise, but its best boom comes from holiday shoppers who wait to buy gifts until the last minute.

“The years that we had it a little bit slow, a month before Christmas, then we get it all in the last week,” explained Sports Haven General Manager Shane Parks. “So that is what we are hoping for this year.”

Though practically every team on display at the store, he said this year more people are gravitating toward Tom Brady’s new team.

“Every year, there is always kind of a surprise team,” Parks said. “Tampa Bay has been a big spoiler team with Tom Brady playing there, so we have had a lot more people looking for Tampa Bay stuff.”

In Salem, big-ticket items like remote control cars and planes are catching shoppers’ eyes at Crossroads Hobbies and Crafts.

“You can come look at it in person,” said Crossroads Hobbies and Crafts associate David Wood. “You don’t have to look at a picture and say, ‘well I don’t know if this is what I want’ and then you get it and it’s not what you really wanted.”

If you’re going that route, don’t forget to buy the batteries to operate the toys.

“We always try to remind everybody that when they get the car, some of them come with batteries some of them don’t,” Wood said. “So make sure you pick up a battery and a charger. That way they are only making one trip.”

Most local shops are open on Christmas Eve but with limited hours so, check a shop’s social media page first before you step out the door.


About the Author:

Alexus joined 10 News in October 2020.