By Staff
Brrrrr. While temperatures are in the teens, some ladies who attend Saturday's Ice Time Festival in downtown Dowagiac will only be dressed in jammies, flannel robes and warm furry slippers.
Past experience has taught them it plays to dress appropriately for the Winter Hibernation Sale and to also rise early for the best bargains.
Although most downtown specialty stores typically open at 10 a.m., the festival's fourth-annual Winter Hibernation and Pajama Sale, which features merchandise up to 75 percent off, is sure to lure die-hard bargain hunters out of bed at the crack of dawn.
The fall and winter clearance sale is one of the many activities that will be held during the 11th Annual Ice Time Festival, which is sponsored by the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce.
"The Winter Hibernation event is a unique promotion that combines great values with fun, sassiness and some retail savviness to chase away our winter blues while at the same time soothing our spring fever," said Vickie Phillipson, program director of the Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Development Authority.
Sue Kazlauskas, owner of The Marshall Shoppe and chairman of the Chamber's Retail Business Committee, plans to open her doors for the third consecutive year at an unprecedented 7 a.m. Saturday for her Pajama Party Special.
As she plans her continental breakfast and has told her customers, "Let's have breakfast on me," it's not likely her patrons will have food on their minds when sale prices on fall and winter merchandise are slashed another 50 percent from 7 to 9 a.m.
Prices slip back to 40 percent off clearance prices from 9 to 10 a.m. and then to 30 percent at 10 a.m. through the remainder of the day.
"New this year, as an added incentive to get out of bed early, between 7 and 9 a.m., we're going to give the gal in the silliest pajamas a $50 in-store gift card," said Kazlauskas, who's also offering 30 percent off on retired pieces of Brighton.
Across the street at Underwood Shoes, owner Tom Underwood is also hoping to clear out his winter inventory by offering Red Wings and SAS shoes on sale at 20 percent off on festival day only. Plus, his already-marked down sale items will be slashed again.
Underwood said in celebration of back again to 20 percent off, though her customers at that time can dress accordingly for the winter festival.
Morgen Pittman, owner of The Wren's Nest, will open an hour early at 9 a.m. to treat his customers to 25 percent off storewide throughout the day, plus an extra 10 percent for those customers in their jammies.
During its going-out-of-business sale, Apparel Alternatives is already offering 50 to 75 percent off storewide and is advising customers to shop now for the best selection.
At Laurie Anne's, shop owner Laurie Kinzler is opening two hours early, at 8 a.m., and offering her customers 20 percent off storewide.
For those who like to sleep in, Vincent J. Jewelers is offering 40 percent off storewide to those in sleepwear throughout the day, with savings escalating to 50 percent off for its Moonlight Madness Sale from 7 to 10 p.m.
Andi Weller, owner of Weller Wireless/Nextel on Commercial Street, is offering 20 percent off accessories during the Ice Time Festival and through April, when patrons bring in the coupon appearing on the backside of the Ice Time brochure. Phillipson said some restrictions apply at each of the participating locations, where certain merchandise may not be included in the Hibernation Sale.