You get to meet all the different shopkeepers. It's very personal up here. Shoppers and downtown merchants say the area's historic feel creates a climate and holiday shopping experience that can't be duplicated by malls, and certainly not by online buying. But it also means smaller crowds in this restored neighborhood business district than were found in the larger regional malls. Maintaining that charm while still drawing customers is a challenge for merchants during the critical holiday season.
Most retailers rely on the two-month stretch for at least a quarter of annual sales.
Kim Burmane of Mason and her family browsed the clothes, ornaments and antiques at Oh Suzanna on Broadway Street near the Golden Lamb, Ohio's oldest inn. It's nicer to go to a place which people independently own it. It's al ways good to support people who are in business for themselves. Dating back to the late 18th century, Lebanon is known throughout the Midwest for its dozens of antique and specialty shops. The Golden Lamb, which opened in 1803, has housed such notables as statesman Henry Clay, writers Mark Twain and Charles Dickens and several U.S. presidents during its nearly 200 years.