Campus stores prepare for holidays

RAE EMARY/HERALD

Taylor Harrison

Campus stores around WKU are already getting into the holiday spirit.

The WKU Floral Shop looks like a Christmas wonderland. Christmas trees, wreaths and ornaments cover the inside of the store. Outside, the lawn and porch are filled with snowmen, reindeer and a sleigh. The shop even has a cozy fireplace to warm up customers as they come in.

Roger Dennis, director of the floral shop, said the shop offers floral arrangements and centerpieces — usually in reds, whites and greens for Christmas time — as well as other items for the holidays.

“Christmas ornaments, Christmas wreaths and then you can also buy fresh cut flower arrangements and fresh greenery and things like that,” Dennis said.

The store offers a lot of decorations, ranging from small snowmen ornaments that are $2.99 to a large snowman decoration that costs almost $200. Christmas candles, reindeer decorations and Santa Claus figurines are also among the holiday merchandise.

Horticulture students contribute to the shop as part of floral design classes.

“I teach the courses that the students take, and the students actually help do the decorating,” Dennis said.

But before Christmas rolls around, Dennis is teaching a workshop on how to make a Thanksgiving centerpiece on Nov. 19 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Floral Design Training Center at the floral shop.

The WKU Store, located on Nashville Road and at Garrett Conference Center, is preparing for the holidays with new merchandise.

Jim Sears, assistant director of retail operations, said one new item the store has for the holidays is their Christmas ornament — the store gets a new one each year. This year it’s a gnome figurine ornament with a little red hat.

“Something that’s been really popular the last couple years is a gift basket that is a limited edition,” Sears said. “We bring those in typically for this time of year.”

Sears said people collect both these items and often call in asking when the store will get them in.

Sears and Lacey Jackson, marketing associate, said there are other items that sell particularly well at Christmas, like items for dogs or kids, as well as things for parents and grandparents — things students aren’t buying for themselves. One new item at the store is a children’s book, “Hello, Big Red” by Naren Aryal.

“Not everybody likes football, but if you like WKU, you can get something — you can get an ornament and hang it on your tree, or you can get the ‘Hello, Big Red’ for your little brother,” Sears said.

Jackson said buying these gifts for family members is a good way to get WKU out there.

“I think it’s a good way to kind of, like, spread the red,” Jackson said. “The first few years I worked here, all of my family got WKU stuff.”

For students who need to stock up on WKU gifts, the store is having a Thanksgiving sale next week. The store on campus will have 25 percent off WKU apparel and gift items on Monday and Tuesday. At the Nashville Road store, the sale will last until next Saturday, except on Thanksgiving Day.

Another sale will be on Dec. 6. If people bring in a new toy or give a $5 cash donation to Toys for Tots, there will be a 30 percent discount.