Time to plan your Christmas shopping

Down to Business

Sunday, November 11, 2007

It's too bad that our computers hate me. I wrote the greatest column of my career, but the computer locked it up tight. There was no way to open it back up, edit it and have it appear in The Register-Mail. And, of course, it's impossible for me to reconstruct it. Sigh, you would have loved it.

Don't forget, only 43 days until Christmas. I joked in last week's column that now that all of Halloween's ghosts and goblins are sitting around with aching stomachs, Christmas carols would begin playing on local radio stations. Much to my surprise, when we traveled to Chicago this past weekend, WLIT-FM 93.9, was indeed playing all Christmas, all the time. What happened to all those great Thanksgiving songs like "Please Mr. Pilgrim" and "The Mighty Mayflower Melody" that were played in my youth on WIZZ-AM radio in Streator?

(I could be remembering this all wrong; it's been quite a few years since I was a kid.)

Anyway, Holly, on Channel 103 XM Satellite Radio, also is playing continuous Christmas music. By Thanksgiving (I'm not making this up, and WIZZ is a real radio station. Is it still on the air?), XM will have six different channels playing holly, jolly songs. I love Christmas, but I'm afraid one of these years I'll be subjected to "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" on July 5.

I will do all my Christmas shopping in Galesburg or Monmouth this year. There is plenty of selection, but next year the Menards in Seminary Square, as well as many other stores in the new shopping center, will be open. I expect there also will be many more stores in the mall and maybe some new shops downtown and on Seminary Street. I hope so, because I need many stores to choose from to find gifts on Dec. 24.

One of our loyal readers reports that GameStop officials told her anyone wanting to apply for a job at the store in Seminary Square can apply at stores in Kewanee - 150 E. South St. - or Peoria - 2220 W. War Memorial Drive and 4501 W. War Memorial Drive; tell the manager you want to work in the Galesburg store. An opening date for the store here has not yet been released; the store has been added to the company's Web site.

I'm glad to see the city hired a firm to develop a strategic plan for downtown Galesburg. There are plenty of communities, some much larger than Galesburg, that would be happy to have all the activity we have now downtown. But, a theme, a downtown that is busy day and night (and a large book store) can make the central business district another reason for tourists to visit our city. I think all we've been lacking is some direction and this is a great start toward a downtown that will rival the glory days of O.T. Johnson and its neighbors.

As a child - you know, many, many years ago - I used to come to Galesburg and think, "Where the heck am ..." no, that wasn't it. I used to be amazed by Galesburg's downtown. Many cities had busy Main Streets, but little activity on side streets. Galesburg's downtown always seemed to be the one thing that said "city," with stores and restaurants galore. While Seminary, Main and Cherry streets are all doing well, many other side streets are looking a little sad.

With a busy Amtrak station, the Orpheum Theatre, Knox College, the museums and the Prairie Players new home, downtown is well on its way to being something that we all can point to with pride. Downtowns, like almost everything, evolve. Bergner's, Penney's, Sears and Carson Pirie Scott are unlikely ever to return downtown, but the strategic plan will give us a plan, whether it's a center for entertainment, arts and culture, quaint little shops or a Barnes and Noble. (I'm not going to give up on that.)

Downtown can become a place for people to live in second-story lofts. If that doesn't work, how about upper-floor stores linked by skywalks? Hey, these are dreams, folks. Think big, then go from there.

John R. Pulliam is business editor at The Register-Mail. Contact him at 343-7181, Ext. 215, or jpulliam@register-mail.com.