Business people know it’s not just elves working through the holidays. Obviously, someone has to feed the reindeer and clean up after them as well. And sell the reindeer food. This is the time of year when retailers and people in any industry that can make a dollar while people are on the street with dollars to spend can see that making it through this holiday season can be the key to turning a profit. As the holiday retail period draws to a close, some storekeepers and shopworkers will be trying to maximize the dollars to be earned. Such is the dilemma at Valley Beverage Company liquor store in Encino. “It’s a shame to lose that business” by closing, said owner Peter Jarjour. He’ll be open Christmas Eve until 11 p.m. and Christmas Day until about 10 p.m. Although he’s only owned the Ventura Boulevard store about a year, he’s been in the business for 32 years. The drive for business is causing Ani’s Bakery in Granada Hills to open on a Monday, typically a day-off for the bakers. Nora Tomassian and her husband will be filling advanced orders of Christmas treats on Dec. 24. They’ll be home for Christmas, but the following Monday, they’ll again be open especially to fill orders for New Year’s Eve. At The Home Depot in Panorama City, they’ll be closing about 6 p.m. Christmas Eve, and “it’s usually completely dead,” said Brian Schmucker, specialty manager. The do-it-yourselfers and contractors both slow down this time of year. Having extra days at home doesn’t necessarily translate to doing more home projects, only the Hardware Department is busy “for gifts,” Schmucker said. “Even the ‘honey-do’ lists cut down for the holidays,” he said. At the Chatsworth floor-covering store, Advantage Carpet, manning the shop on Christmas Eve will be Dennis Grossman. “I can see your headline now,” he joked, “‘Advantage Boss Is Scrooge’.” He expects he’ll send his co-worker home for the day, and he’ll leave early himself because it’ll be slow. But he encourages people to “stop by for coffee and political chat.” It’ll be just the two co-owners running The Baseball Card Company, which is not a last-minute shopping stop, says Steve Aronson one of those who’ll be manning the bid board of collector cards. Most of their regulars will have done their shopping already, but they’ll do a steady business of “wives and girlfriends stopping by to pick up a gift certificate,” Aronson said. They expect to be busy Christmas Eve at Valley Book and Bible in Van Nuys. President of the family-run business, Dave Wilkie, looked at the last year that Christmas was on a Tuesday, in 2001, and the traffic from Friday, Saturday and Monday “was very, very busy.” The store is closed Sundays. “There’s a lot of last minute shoppers,” Wilkie said, adding they’ll close about 4 p.m. At La Frite Caf & #233; in Encino, general manager Gayle Eisemann said they’ll be open Christmas Eve “as long as there’s people” they’ll try to keep open, expecting to “stay open until 10 p.m.” At Babies ‘R’ Us in Panorama City, assistant manager Dennis Soto said Christmas Eve will be much like any other Monday the holidays don’t really provide a spike in business. Yet, they’ll be open Christmas Eve, because “obviously babies don’t stop on the holidays,” he said. And neither do cigar smokers. The Granada Hills haunt, the Cigar Lounge will be open as owner Ashley & #377; just Ashley,said he’ll try to close about 6 p.m. but it’s dependent upon “what’s in here at the time.” His is a last-minute business, he said “because you can’t get them too far in advance.” Most of his day will be for people picking up advanced orders and shooting the breeze with his regulars until they leave. “If there’re 10 guys sitting in here, I’ll close maybe by 8,” Ashley said, when he’ll pull his wooden Indian in off the sidewalk and go home to his wife to celebrate the holiday.
