Other options available for shopping locally
Staff writer
With Christmas right around the corner, some Marion residents might be thinking about heading to a bigger city to purchase gifts.
However, residents can buy all their gifts in Marion — if they’re willing to try, according to Margo Yates, the city’s community enrichment department.
Yates contends the city has many places to shop locally.
“We do all of our shopping in Marion first,” she said, adding that she rarely has to leave the city to shop.
That was not always the case.
Years ago, after Duckwall’s closed in Marion, she did her Christmas shopping at Alco in Hillsboro. When it closed, it caused her to shop at Walmart.
Now, however, she tries to do all of her Christmas shopping in Marion.
Locations where residents can find gifts in Marion include Lanning Pharmacy, Dollar General, Aunt Bea’s, Carlsons’ Grocery, Ace Hardware and others.
Yates said residents wanting to find gifts locally might have to visit several places because no store in Marion will have everything they want to buy.
“If you can’t find something in Marion, you are not looking,” she said.
On Friday, St. Luke Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shoppe was booming with customers.
Most were going to find what they could in the city before deciding whether they needed to go to a bigger community to find what could not be found locally.
Other towns also offer local shopping.
Incoming Peabody council member Andrew Rosine said residents can find gifts there if they look.
Larger ticketed items often cannot be found in Peabody, but a lot of smaller things can be, he said.
Heaters and wood stoves handmade by Eyestone Automotive would be a great gift, especially because the weather is getting colder, he said.
“There are a lot of things in Peabody that gets overlooked,” he said. “Things in Peabody are custom made.”
Peabody also has a few antique shops selling a variety of items, he said.
In a pinch, gift cards to local restaurants would be a great stocking stuffer, he said.