Lexington holiday shops make additional COVID adjustments

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — The holiday season is upon us. People have already started putting their Christmas trees up and are already starting to holiday shop.

But shopping will look different this year and we found local businesses are working hard to meet customers’ needs and to keep them safe.

“There’s nothing that will stop us from making sure you get what you need,” says Queen Bee Gifts owner Angie Hack.

Lexington holiday shops are putting in overtime to make the holidays as normal as possible in the middle of a pandemic.

“Obviously this pandemic we didn’t expect it to last this long and with the fourth quarter and holiday season being the biggest season of our entire year we had to come up with some pretty creative ways to make sure all of our shoppers were able to get in and really take advantage of Christmas shopping,” says Hack.

Queen Bee Gifts in the Palomar Centre beefed up its social media to help showcase items.

Hack says she’s offering curbside pickup – you can call and place your order, staff will bring the items to your car or even deliver to you.

“We have implemented after hour shopping experiences,” says Hack. “Basically you can come after hours when the crowd is gone, the doors are locked for your own private shopping experience.”

Hack says staff members are manning the doors keeping crowds within their capacity restrictions, which could mean you might have to wait outside.

Something creative the Corman Marketplace is doing is zoom calls with customers.

“So you can take a zoom tour of the entire marketplace,” says Jill Holder, director of marketing and sales. “He’s also doing zoom consultations for people who need personalized decorating from their home.”

The store’s offering online shopping, curbside pickup, but also making the shopping experience inside safer with home made desk shields.

“Coming here is not just shopping it’s an annual tradition and an experience,” says Holder. “And we want people, because we have so little chance to get out there and have these kind of experiences, we want them to come here and have the best experience possible.”

These local shops are doing whatever is needed to stay afloat and they encourage all to shop local.