Popular Gift Ideas from Kingstowne Stores

‘Tis the season to find a gift for that special someone, stuff those stockings, or pick up something for the exchange at the office party. Several Kingstowne Towne Center merchants tell us they certainly are ringing their registers this season. What better way to look for special gifts, then to shop local?

Chill Out

Ice cream itself may not be such a good idea to shove into a giant sock hanging over a warm fire, but a gift card for ice cream and other tasty treats? Even some hot chocolate on a winter day—may be just the way to check off someone special’s wish list this holiday season.

Start with gift cards to . “America’s Ice Cream Co-Op” offers “supreme, hand-dipped ice cream.”

Movie Mania

Right across the street, some of the hottest movies of the year arrive gift-wrapped in theaters in December. Tots may enjoy “Arthur Christmas,” “Hugo,” “Happy Feet Two” and the latest Muppets movie. Oscar is buzzing about “J. Edgar” and “The Descendants.” Still big movies to come with Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and don't forget "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked."

Gift cards are available from Regal Kingstowne 16 Cinemas.

Hot Electronics

Rather stay at home for entertainment? For the gamer or gadget guru in your life, visit Radio Shack and , conveniently located right next door to each other. The Radio Shack manager we talked to said the big sellers this season are pint-sized. Customers are asking the most questions about cell phones, cell phone service and batteries. Fitting into slightly larger stockings may be tablets and e-books. Other items such as iPhone, BlackBerry and Kindle Fire are just some of the brand names flying off the shelves.

GameStop employee Alex Hernandez said the hottest games this season are "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3," "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim," "Zelda: Skyward Sword," "MarioKart 7: 3-DS" and "Assassin's Creed: Revelations."

Scentsational

On the other side of the shopping center sits . "Folks are buying a little bit of everything in here," said employee Tonya Overton, while helping Nancy Weisgerber, a regular customer. She purchased gifts we can't mention here, for someone special we can't mention here either. But we can report Weisgerber found everything she had come to buy.

Overton said scented candles—with aromas including Holiday Gumdrop, Winter Wonderland and Candied Sugar Plum—seem to be the most popular right now. That's followed by antibacterial soap, to pleasantly wash away any germs from those holiday crowds, with scents like Winter Cranberry and Sparkling Snow. Gift sets also are popular: a mini-bath combination of lotion, soap and loofah comes in seasonal colors.

"Customers are asking for gift ideas and gift-wrapping suggestions," said Overton.

The store isn't just for the ladies. A shelf at the front, on the left marked "Manly Gifts" touts body wash, lotions, colognes and sprays labeled Classic, Noir, Citron and Twilight Woods.

Sara Sterling, the manager at this Kingstowne location for three years and a Bath & Body Works employee for 10 years, said aromatherapy products are a hot seller, way before Santa comes down that chimney. "They give relief for shopping stress, even before gifts are exchanged and opened," she explained.

Kingstowne Trending?

Sales in Kingstowne may be following a national trend. A Conference Board Consumer Research Center report released Nov. 29, showed American consumer confidence surged in November to its highest level since July.

Though overall readings remain historically weak, "confidence has bounced back to levels last seen during the summer," Lynn France, director of the conference board, said in a news release. "Consumers' assessment of current conditions finally improved, after six months of steady declines."

"Consumers' apprehension regarding the short-term outlook for business conditions, jobs and income prospects eased considerably," she said. "Consumers appear to be entering the holiday season in better spirits."

Got a great gift idea from a local retailer? Tell us about it in the Comments box!