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OPEN HOUSE: Downtown event to be held this weekend Downtown Fredericksburg retailers are anticipating a good holiday season as they prepare for their annual Christmas open house this weekend. Date published: 11/11/2004 By CATHY JETT Increasingly heavy traffic around Fredericksburg could mean downtown stores will ring up more sales this Christmas. At least that's the hope of retailers such as Bob Whittingham, who upped Christmas orders for his home and kitchen shop at 1021 Caroline St. by a third this year. "People don't want to fight the traffic on I-95 and Route 3 to do their holiday shopping," he said. Higher energy prices also are likely to keep area shoppers closer to home this year, Whittingham said. Plus he's noticed more and more people from Stafford and Spotsylvania counties are starting to rediscover downtown. "They like the service and the ambience," said the merchant, who is known for the witty and whimsical displays in the Whittingham's storefront. "It's not chain stores down here." The antiques stores, specialty boutiques and historic-attraction gift shops on Fredericksburg's tree-lined streets already have begun gearing up for Christmas in anticipation of the Downtown Holiday Open House Weekend this Saturday and Sunday. Most will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. "It's a real big kick-off for the season, and the public loves it," said Marilee Meek, a co-owner of The Pavilion, an interior design and gift shop at 723 Caroline St. "We've had up to 900 people here on a Sunday afternoon." The annual event, organized by Downtown Retail Marketing Inc., got its start in 1973 when the late Dick Ross held a holiday show at the old Sheraton Motor Inn for his downtown business, Flowers By Ross. He began holding it at the store, then located on William Street, the following year as a way to lure shoppers downtown. "More and more people started opening because we were so busy," recalled Jan Williams of Jan Williams Florals, who was working for Ross at the time. "It really wasn't an organized effort until the downtown merchants association decided to join the bandwagon." Today, the open house is two days instead of one, and has become something of a thank-you to customers, according to Meek. Some stores will be serving refreshments, while others will offer special discounts. There'll also be live entertainment on the streets, sales of Historic Fredericksburg Foundation Inc.'s 2004 Christmas ornament and the lighting of a Freedom Tree in Market Square. "It's just a jam-packed weekend downtown," said Martha Crimmins, DRMI president.
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