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DISCOVER
Sunday, October 29, 2000 SHOPPING: Great buys near and far
A true shopper wouldn't have it any other way
DW KANA SHEPHARD, FOR THE OLYMPIAN Sure, online shopping is trendy. But to diehard shopping fans it's just another quick fix, a digital version of catalogues and cable shopping channels.
True shoppers need to bite into that Godiva chocolate and taste its savory pleasures. True shoppers are waiting in line at 6 a.m. the day after Thanksgiving, ready to whip out their plastic for some killer deals.
The busiest shopping season of the year is quickly approaching. To help you prepare for it, we've pulled together ideas for shopping excursions to destinations near and far.
Olympia
Lights, lights, and more lights will bespeckle downtown Olympia for the annual "Downtown for the Holidays" event on Nov. 26, sponsored by the 400 or so businesses that make up the Olympia Downtown Association.
Vendors open their doors for the busiest shopping weekend of the year and take part in the Sunday festivities, which will include a "singing Christmas tree," a parade, wagon rides and the traditional Christmas tree lighting in Sylvester Park.
The 4,000 strands of lights come courtesy of the association, which keeps them aglow from November through February. Businesses also will outlinetheir buildings in lights, making for a festive air.
For those who want to make a day -- and night of it -- in the Capital City, downtown Olympia has plenty to offer. The city is more than "hip," as Time Magazine says, with mass appeal.
The underground music scene thrives at a number of night spots, the Olympia Film Society screens cutting-edge films at the Capitol Theater, and the renovated Thekla nightclub and State Theatre add sparkle to the night. The Washington Center for the Performing Arts regularly hosts touring and local productions, as well.
The personalized service and unique whatnots found with downtown merchants appeal to shoppers of all ages. Need a gift for a hard-to-shop-for person? Invest in gift certificates. Metro for the teenager. The Tea Lady for an aunt. Orca Books for the college student. Wind Up Here Toys for kids of all ages. Radiance for the unique and unusual. Drees for the really cool sharpening stone. The possibilities are endless.
Some shoppers enjoy the way the Farmers Market switches modes for the holiday season, with crafters coming out in force, more garland appearing in the rafters, and holiday entertainers and carolers taking the stage at the popular market. The hours change, too, going to Saturday and Sunday only from 10 a.m. 3 p.m. in November through the last weekend before Christmas.
Opportunities for great holiday shopping abound not only in the Capital City, but often in places close by.
Shopping excursions
Some shoppers lead such hectic lives they need to head out of town for a weekend just to get their shopping done. And because the holidays are traditionally considered off-season, savings abound on hotels, entertainment, and attractions.
Almost 40,000 reservations were made in Seattle last year for the annual Seattle Super Saver program, which offers discount rates for 38 hotels in the downtown core, within easy walking distance of shopping outlets.
The Super Saver program takes reservations via a telephone hotline or on-line, with rates ranging from $57 a night for cozy budget inns to $170 for luxury five-star offerings. The program also offers discount coupons for shopping, dining and entertainment.
"What's great about the Seattle Super Saver hotline is that when people call to make reservations, they can get all kinds of great information from real people," said David Blanchard of the Seattle-King County Visitors and Convention Bureau.
Portland is another favorite with true shoppers, especially with its tax-free shopping. Like its counterpart to the north, the Rose City dishes up its own savings program called "The Big Deal," with 30 hotels participating, as well as shopper discounts.
For those who prefer to leave the driving to someone else, travel agencies such as Global Express, with offices in Olympia and Lacey, offer planned excursions. For instance, on Dec. 2, a chartered bus will leave Olympia for shopping at Portland's Lloyd Center (the one with the indoor ice skating rink) and the nearby Saturday Market, where hundreds of vendors sell art, crafts and gifts.
Shoppers will have at least six hours to get their buys in without the hassle of parking. The cost for that excursion is $21.
On Dec. 9, Leavenworth's Christmas tree lighting will cap the day for another shopping excursion via chartered bus at a cost of $35.
"Shopping trips can be kind of fun, and we are thinking of different kinds of ways to do these trips," said Chris Moncrief of the Global Express Lacey branch.
A quick drive south is pure shoppers paradise. More than just outlet stores, Centralia is hosting "A Dickens of a Christmas Celebration" in its downtown, home to a unique selection of small shops and antique dealers.
Those outlet stores, though, are what appeal to the diehard shoppers. Deals and more deals can be found in stores including Toy Liquidators, Outlet Sports NW (they have K2 skis and snowboards), and the Paper Factory. The outlet stores will have a Christmas Showcase Weekend on Dec. 9 and 10, featuring some of the finer holiday arts, crafts and vendor offerings at the mall's NW Factory Co-op.
A bonus to shopping in the Twin Cities area is Destinations Centralia, which caters to the shopper who wants to make a day of it. Shoppers board the Amtrak Shopper Special train in their home city and the crew from Destinations provides round-trip transportation between the train station and the outlet stores.
And for the discriminating shopper who prefers to go it alone, specialty stores such as IKEA in Renton, Trader Joe's in Federal Way and Restoration Hardware in Seattle are worth a trip on the freeway.
How to prepare for these junkets? Chambers of commerce are a good source of information for deals on hotels, discount coupons and things to do in major cities, such as Seattle, Portland and Victoria. Instead of using that computer for online shopping, use it for a little planning by checking out the Web sites of the cities in question.
DW Kana Shephard is a free-lance writer who lives in Olympia.
Resources
Lodging, entertainment and shopping contacts for the Pacific Northwest:
-Olympia/Thurston Chamber of Commerce, (360) 357-3362 or www.olympiachamber.com (Olympia).
-Downtown for the Holidays, Nov. 26, Olympia, Olympia Downtown Association, (360) 357-8948.
-Olympia Farmers Market, (360) 352-9096
-Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce (206) 389-7200 or www.seattlechamber.com
-Portland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, (503) 228-5126 or www.portlandchamber.com
-Bellingham/Whatcom Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (360) 734-1330 or www.bellingham.com
-Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce, (509) 548-5807 or www.leavenworth.org
-The Chamber Serving Centralia, Chehalis and Greater Lewis County, (360) 748-8885 or www.chamberway.com
-Destinations Centralia, (360) 736-8730
-Centralia Outlet Stores, on both sides of I-5 at exit 82. Open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
-Shopping excursions to Portland and Leavenworth, Global Express Travel, (360) 491-2640. Also available through other local travel agents.
-British Columbia Chamber of Commerce, (604) 683-0700 or www.bcchamber.org
-Victoria, B.C., Chamber of Commerce, (250) 383-7191
Discount shopping packages
-Seattle Super Saver discount program, Seattle-King County Visitors and Convention Bureau, call (800) 535-7071 or www.seattlesupersaver.com
-Portland's The Big Deal discount program, Portland Oregon Visitors Association, call 87PORTLAND (toll free) or www.travelportland.com The Olympian Copyright 2000
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