Business Notebook: Home for the holidays shopping starts Sunday

WARWICk - Jingle bells! Believe it or not, it’s that time again. This Sunday, Nov. 19, Warwick’s downtown merchants invite everyone to the opening festivities for the annual “Home for the Holidays” Christmas shopping season. The all day celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. is intentionally scheduled early so that visitors can also get in the mood for Thanksgiving and Chanukah as well as Christmas as they stroll along Main Street, Railroad Avenue and the surrounding area. “We’re welcoming everyone and we want to create a warm feeling in our community as we enter the holiday season,” said Carol Bartnowski, owner of The Inkwell, who co-chairs the event with Debbie Iurato, co-owner of Peck’s Wines & Spirits and Mary Beth Schlichting, owner of Frazzleberries. Visitors are bound to get into the Christmas spirit since most stores will be decorated with seasonal displays and some participating merchants will be hosting holiday events and serving refreshments including local wines, hot cider, cookies and hors d’oeuvres. Members of the Warwick Chorale will also be strolling about, stopping in shops and entertaining visitors with traditional Christmas music. Many of the shops will offer special early season sales and some will attract visitors by featuring local professional chefs who, in turn, will also have an opportunity to offer samples of their gourmet specialties. Special store “happenings” are planned for Jacqueline’s Boutique, Sweetbriar’s, The Inkwell, Liz’s Fine Jewelry, La Petite Cuisine, Forever Jewelers, Victorian Treasures, BINK, The Pear Tree, The Eclectic Eye & Who’s on First and Mima’s among others. The traditional “Angel Tree,” to benefit the needy will soon be on display on Main Street between Akin’s Drug Store and Newhard’s. And next month the Nativity Scene and the Menorah will be on display in Lewis Park. Merchants will also be mailing or handing out an attractive “Come home for the holidays” invitational postcard designed by Judy Pederson. Some of the upcoming events during “Home for the Holidays” include the Harvest to Holly Tour this weekend; Festival of Trees Nov. 20 through Dec. 2; the Christmas Tree Lighting next Friday evening, Nov. 24; Winding Through Warwick Dec. 1 & 2; Horse and Buggy Rides and a visit by Santa on Dec. 10; the Menorah Lighting on Friday evening, Dec. 15 and a Christmas Eve sing at the Old School Baptist Meeting House. Other events are still in the planning and the “Home for the Holidays” committee urges everyone to save gas and spend their Christmas shopping money in their hometown. When you shop in the Village you can meet your neighbors and enjoy personal service face to face from experienced clerks. Warwick merchants offer a great selection of quality merchandise, a pleasant shopping experience and free gift-wrapping. And if your uncle doesn’t like his gift or it’s the wrong size, you don’t have to drive 40 miles to exchange it. Partners in Caring Do you remember all those comic-book heroes that appeared on your favorite cereal box? Now you can find real life heroes at Warwick ShopRite as well as on a box of Cheerios. On Wednesday morning, Nov. 8, Debbie Veninger, Sue Thornton and Thomas “Bud” Miederna, department managers at Warwick ShopRite, were among the ShopRite associates honored for their store’s commitment to fighting hunger in their communities through ShopRite “Partners in Caring.” And they are pictured on 80,000 Cheerios boxes. Veninger is one of four “Hunger Fighting Superheroes” profiled on a side panel who were chosen for special recognition based on nominating essays submitted by co-workers. Thornton and Miederna were selected when the Warwick ShopRite placed among the top 25 stores in a “National Hunger Awareness Day” contest sponsored by ShopRite and General Mills. All ShopRite associates raised more than $173,000 by offering $1 donation cards to customers at checkout. The 25 winning stores, which included Warwick, were selected based upon the creativity of their displays, the amount of funds raised for “Partners in Caring” and events that increased awareness of the cause. Deputy Town of Warwick Superintendent James Gerstner and Warwick Village Mayor Michael Newhard were also on hand to present individual awards to each of the honorees. ShopRite supermarkets are members of Wakefern Food Corporation, a retailer-owned cooperative with stores located throughout New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Delaware. ShopRite Partners in Caring is a year-round, community-based, hunger fighting initiative that works with more than 70 food industry manufacturers to provide $2 million annually to qualified charitable agencies. In Caring supports emergency food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, childcare centers, battered women’s shelters, senior citizen programs and many other organizations that aid those in need. The ShopRite Partners in Caring Fund was established in 2002. For additional information visit: www.shopritepartnersincaring.org.