Always Christmas

It’s not every day you meet someone who believes they have glitter running through their veins. Then again, it’s not every day you meet someone who has spent their entire life wrapped up in their family’s year-round Christmas shop.

The Christmas Place

Kristen Jackson is that special someone. Once upon a time, she was an adorable diaper-wearing tiny tot, toddling with unbridled delight across merriment-filled aisles at The Christmas Place in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, a year-round holiday emporium founded by her grandparents Hurshell and Marian Biggs. She can’t remember a time when she wasn’t doing something at the store dedicated to keeping the Christmas spirit alive throughout the year. Now a mother of five, she is the proud CEO of the 43,000-square-foot operation.

“I remember, as a kid, one of my favorite things to do was play hide and seek in the store when the lights went out. Now, as the owner, one of my favorite things to do is walk around the store, watching customers’ faces light up as they wander. To see this much Christmas, this well presented, is a WOW!”

Jackson and her elves have something for all tastes and budgets. “Our top selling ornament, given our location in the heart of the Smokies, is a black bear that says Smoky Mountains, Tennessee. We have an entire section of items dedicated to the Smokies, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge.”

More than just a store, The Christmas Place has become a Pigeon Forge destination, one that appeals not only to locals and tourists, but to filmmakers and local celebrities. “I remember Dolly Parton being here, filming commercials for her television special Home for Christmas, which aired in 1990. I got to sit in her lap, which, now that I’m looking back, was pretty cool.”

On the rare occasion Jackson needs cheering, you will most likely find her hanging out at Santa’s haus with her favorite jolly friend who can be found in the store Thursdays—Mondays. “It’s such a cozy place; just what you think Santa’s house would be like. He exudes hope and love.”

While Santa roams the store regularly, and is available for selfies throughout the year, staff recommend reservations once fall rolls around. Nearby visitors can get on the waiting list by visiting www.christmasplace.com/santa-haus.

With the help of her husband, Jackson’s dream of opening a second 12,000-square-foot location in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, has been realized. While she’s been delighted by its success, what will delight her most of all is for her children to get swept up in the good tidings and be inspired to keep the business in the family.

2470 Parkway, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863 | (800) 445-3396 | christmasplace.com

Always Christmas

Tammy Hollingshead has been only too delighted to keep her parents’ (Ray and Fay Wine) Always Christmas emporium in the family. A serial entrepreneur, her mom initially moved into the Christmas spirit by adding a few Christmas items into the eclectic product mix at her Hen’s Nest store in scenic Hiawassee, Georgia. While the full-time population is small, travelers flock to the area given its gorgeous mountain views and recreational opportunities.

When the space began overflowing with seasonal gifts, she asked her construction professional husband to build them a new space down the road, one that allowed for a stand-alone Christmas store. Although her mom has since passed, Hollingshead’s father, at 87, continues to come to the store every day. Hollingshead herself has taken the helm as general manager while her brother manages the grounds and maintenance, and her sister manages the bookkeeping remotely.

“In Hiawassee, the living is simple, laid back, and the people are friendly,” Hollingshead says. “Most of our customers are here on vacation or, having googled us.”

Many of their employees are retired women who moved to the mountains with their husbands. “They don’t want to stay home all day with their husbands, though,” Hollingshead notes. “Some work half days, others work a few days a week. The scheduling is a bit of a hassle, but it’s worth it because everyone is happy.”

Hollingshead believes the biggest part of her team’s job is helping people find what they might want, figure out what they can add to the tree this year, how they might decorate, and what they can give to their children. “I love hearing customers return and say they loved everything they got the year before.”

Many’s the time you can find Hollingshead or staff members reading cards to older customers who can’t see well. “We’re just professional shoppers, helping folks spend their money and get the right thing.”

Finding the new “right thing” for each year typically happens between January and March when traffic slows down and Hollingshead heads to market. Elf on the Shelf, she notes, used to be big, but not so much anymore. This year, motorized confetti globes are in, along with all things Grinch. Hollingshead also stocks a variety of Judaica.

Hollingshead firmly believes there’s no way to be unhappy when you walk into a Christmas store. The lights, beautifully decorated trees, the sounds of holiday music playing, the holiday train that runs along a track above them, and a joyful spirit of giving wafting through the aisles continually elevate her spirits.

Occasionally, though, those spirits get dampened. She will never forget the day when notorious Weather Channel Meteorologist Jim Cantore wandered into the shop. His presence is typically a sign of impending storm doom. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh no, are we going to have to evacuate?’ Fortunately, the all-clear was signaled when it turned out Jim’s cameraman had a lovely experience in the shop previously, inspiring him to check us out, too.”

715 N Main St, Hiawassee, GA 30546 | (706) 896-3559 | alwayschristmas.com

The Corman Marketplace

Like Jackson and Hollingshead, Christmas has also been the family business for Ted Corman of Lexington, Kentucky, based Corman Marketplace. “My father’s roots were in Christmas decorating,” Corman says. “He was working for Lexington retailer Wolf Wiles when he was asked if he could do window displays. In the early 1950s, he also went up and down Main Street, draping Christmas lights. He was sitting in church one day when he decided he needed to create a Christmas product.”

It wasn’t long before his father began creating Santa settings that were being sold to malls and department stores across the country. “We would build the castles here and the stores would send us the decorations,” he recalls. Meanwhile, Corman’s grandmother had a little craft department in his father’s warehouse, teaching things like decoupage and bead jewelry-making. “Participants would see the decorations that were sent to us by retailers and ask if we sold Christmas decorations.”

The idea took hold, and in 1970, Corman’s father decided to give retail a whirl. Corman cheerily walks through the retail section every morning on his way to his office.

Given their manufacturing roots, Corman’s team has the ability to cut, engrave, and shape specialty items, from Santa’s mailboxes to regionally inspired ornaments. “Kentucky is known for horses, bourbon, basketball, and our ornaments reflect that,” Corman says.

What often surprises visitors most is the store’s location in an industrial area. Corman can’t help but smile when he has the opportunity to see first-timers wander into the store. I love seeing the shocked looks that turn to smiles. We’re such a pleasant, unexpected surprise.”

A good internet marketing strategy has been key to bringing in unsuspecting customers. “If you Google Christmas, or Christmas tree ornaments within a 60-mile radius of Lexington, we come up first,” Corman notes. That’s exactly how we were recently discovered by tourists who were driving through Kentucky on their way to Cincinnati, Ohio to see soccer great Lionel Messi play for Inter Miami against FC Cincinnati. On their way, they googled ‘Christmas shop.’ We were their only stop in Kentucky.”

Corman doesn’t take lightly the fact that his store’s theme revolves around the season of giving. Throughout the year, he partners with community organizations to raise both dollars and spirits. To help the local humane society, for example, he brought in a food truck and invited artists who specialize in pet art. “It’s great to be able to share the season with a broader group of people.”

881 Floyd Dr #100, Lexington, KY 40505 | (859) 254-1880 | cormanmarketplace.com

Christmas Shoppe

Giving back is also integral to Lisa Pitman, owner of The Christmas Shoppe in Helen, Georgia, a small but bustling mountain town known for its Bavarian-themed architecture and flair.

Both locals and tourists are enamored with her “pet” tree, adorned as you might expect with a wide array of creative dog and cat ornaments. “A few years ago, we began offering a special ornament featuring either dogs or cats in a basket that says, ‘rescue puppies/kitties,” Pitman says. “When customers buy these ornaments, I donate 100% of the proceeds to our local humane shelter. We also take their picture and post it on our Facebook site. It’s such a feel-good endeavor.”

While Jackson and Corman were essentially born into the Christmas store business, Pitman retired into it in 2007. She and her husband Terry were teachers in Florida with a plan to retire to the North Georgia mountains. She knew the town had once been the home to a thriving Christmas store before it burned down. “My husband, who grew up in Georgia, remembers It being a fantastic place to come for beautiful, imported ornaments. It was a little like walking through a museum, though, because customers weren’t allowed to touch.”

Customers are encouraged to both look and touch in Pitman’s shop, housed inside a charming two-story structure built from a Sears Catalogue kit in 1912. “I say it looks like Hansel and Gretel would have lived here.” Pitman, her husband, and their pet macaw parrot live upstairs. Regulars know Bert and often ask Terry to bring her down.

Ornaments are the thing here. Pitman has 20 themed trees ranging from candy/gingerbread and wine to Elvis and Dr. Seuss’ Grinch. Collectors appreciate the real eggs, hand painted in Austria. “I have one hanging on a stand. It’s an ornament and yet it doesn’t have to be just a Christas ornament. So many of these can be displayed year-round.”

The smell of apple cinnamon and sounds of old Christmas songs create an atmosphere conducive to remembering Christmases past. Thanks to the gentleman who sold them the building, they have a lovely sleigh outside, where guests are welcome to take selfies to their heart’s delight. “Every year we have customers dress up as elves, Santa, Mrs. Claus, and take family pictures. Friends have told me I should charge for the privilege, but I never will.” She and Terry also dress up as Santa and Mrs. Claus when the holidays draw near.

If you ask her favorite memory, she’ll tell you of the father who used to bring his adult son with Downs Syndrome to the store twice a year. “This gentleman’s son thought my husband Terry was Santa and would take his hand as they walked around the shop. I can’t tell you what that meant to my husband. How fantastic to think you really are in Santa’s house.”

8749 N Main St, Helen, GA 30545 | (706) 878-1012 | helenchristmasshoppe.com