Event aims to boost Libertyville stores

It is not a plea, downtown Libertyville merchants say, but more of a pre-emptive strike coming into what can be a make-or-break season for retailers.

On the surface, there won't be much difference from some of the other shopping lures dangled throughout the year. But the first Shop Libertyville Tour on Saturday carries a more urgent undertone.

Initiated by business owners, the village for the first time is hosting and lending its advertising support to the event, by featuring it in its newsletter and on its Web site, libertyville.com/visiting.

"There's so much gloom and doom they wanted a day to sit back and say, 'Look, here's what we've got going on,'" Mayor Jeff Harger said.

Indeed, it was the frequent asides from her customers asking how business was faring that prompted Sue Opeka, owner of The Present Moment, to write Harger concerning an idea for a unified promotion.

"After the fifth or sixth time, I said, 'I've got to change that,'" she said. "People see a store closing and they get worried."

So do village officials, who are struggling with a $634,000 budget deficit for the current year fueled in large part by sinking sales-tax revenue.

Some stores are feeling the pinch, acknowledges Randy Nelson, executive director of MainStreet Libertyville. But it is not a universal malaise, he said.

"'Struggling' is probably too harsh a word," Nelson said. "They're all having to work harder, without question. Business has been impacted."

On Saturday, customers will find dozens of stores collaborating by offering specials and serving as collection points for Libertyville High School's food drive for local pantries.

The thrust, say those involved, is to highlight their wares to an untapped audience. Opera and Charley Colette, owner of Parkview Gourmet, say locals comprise only about 30 percent of their customer lists.

"That's always surprised me," Colette said. "The idea is to try and make Libertyville residents more aware of their downtown."

The effort becomes particularly important now, as November and December sales can make up as much as 40 percent of a retailer's year.

Opeka, whose eclectic offerings include "gong meditations" as well as inspirational and motivational products, says business has risen 15 percent over last year for four months in a row.

"We're going to make it regardless. I just want everyone else to do well," she said.

"Christmas isn't canceled."

Event: Owners say locals comprise only 30 percent of their business