Lake George Village Christmas Walk offers unique gifts, relaxed shopping

Shoppers at Lake George Village’s inaugural Village Christmas Walk had the opportunity to win gift cards, gift baskets, candles, artwork, gingerbread houses and other prizes this weekend, Dec. 20-21, while browsing through the specialty shops that form the core of the Village’s year-round businesses. The Village Christmas Walk was organized by an informal alliance of Village businesses, tentatively named the Lake George Business Partnership, to raise awareness of the diversity and quality of gifts available at local shops and restaurants. The 23 participating businesses, all within the two-block Village center, each offered “We’re Santa’s Helpers” discounts and free raffles.

Tom Walton of Waterfront Living, an Adirondack themed shop on Canada Street, has kept his shop open weekends through the winter since opening in 1997. “It’s tough to get people here in the off-season,” he says. Walton believes people tend to stay in their “comfort zone,” automatically heading out to the mall and big box stores for Christmas shopping.

It does take a re-imagining of the summer resort in the consumer’s mind to think of it as a Christmas shopping destination. Watson tells the story of a customer that drove up especially early for a November Lake George shopping trip fearing that parking would be in short supply, as it often is in the summer when throngs of tourists fill the streets. Parking was plentiful, and free, this Saturday.

“We are not Saratoga; we aren’t trying to be” says Letizia Mastrantoni of The Lake George Olive Oil Company, referring to the high-end shops in Saratoga Springs, but she points out that the Village shops that remain open year-round are different from the tourist-orientated souvenir/t-shirt shops that close after Labor Day.  Run by local residents, shops such as Watson’s and Mastrantoni’s offer distinctive specialty items. Shoppers strolling along Canada Street and its offshoots will find an eclectic assortment of products, many locally produced, to fill their Christmas shopping lists.

A Santa’s Workshop atmosphere prevails at Wax ‘N Wix Candle Making on Montcalm Street. Wax ‘N Wix shoppers tap their creative sides by selecting shapes, colors and scents for candles they make themselves at large workbenches. Owner Laura Ferris says she has had a busy fall and an outstanding December with customers making personalized candles to give as Christmas gifts. Next door to the candle shop, dog lovers filled The Dog Cabin to pick up gifts for their canine friends.

Wine aficionados stepped up to the bar at the Adirondack Winery tasting room on Canada Street to sample the locally produced wines and shop for wine and related accessories. Other shops participating in the Village Christmas Walk include Extoria, Live Love Laugh, Molly Malones, The Lake George Baking Company, Woodworks Furniture Gallery, Tom Tom Shop and Duffy’s Liquor Store. Restaurants, coffee shops and pizzerias also participated in the Village Christmas Walk, offering discounts, raffles and a place where shoppers could rest their feet while refueling with food and drink.

Mastrantoni says the Village Christmas Walk was planned at the last minute when merchants decided they wanted to hold an event similar to the Adirondack Winery-sponsored Village Stroll, which took place the weekend before Thanksgiving this year. The Stroll was smaller in scale, with only a handful of businesses participating, and offered a raffle and special sales. Winery tasting room manager Ava Dally says the Village Stroll was a success as people who used Groupon coupons for stays in Lake George motels stayed in town for The Village Stroll rather then head to Queensbury or Glens Falls for shopping.

The Lake George Business Partnership hopes to expand the Village Christmas Walk next year by including live music and a festival tent in the street. The group will meet again in January to paln future events. “We are focusing on the winter and spring seasons,” Mastrantoni says of the Partnership. “We already have some ideas for events in the spring, some sort of a spring fling,” and perhaps special promotions during Winter Carnival (each weekend in February) to draw people into the Village shops. The Village Christmas Walk continues through Sunday, Dec. 21, with most shops staying open until 6 pm.