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Show Fa ag WASATCH COUNTY COURIER we SHOPPING CONTINUED FROM A1 King’s, a discount store rivaling larger | the stretch includes Wasatch Dance Center, Wasatch Vision Center and Copy | Decorations abound in the store, which Copy. The stores, which include Latimer is bulging at the seams with everything © Do. It Best Hardware, Designs For All from Christmas lights to the obligatory Seasons, Apple-A Day Natural Foods, Almond Roca. High Valley Art Gailery and Heirloom Store Manager Richard Carter says — Furniture tend oY see some increase in “We get people looking for gifts, you bet,” Wetsel added. “Power tools are probably the most common.” versions such as Wal Mart and Kmart. ae Offering mostly handmade gifts, includ- Next door, the name of the game is ing holiday items, the store appears well suited for Christmas sales. That’s exactly what the owners were hoping when they moved the store to Main St. in April from their old location at the old train depot. hats and jeans. Timberline Western Wear se but not dramatic sales boosts. Part of the “We thought. Main St. would be bet lukewarm Discouraged by the aiitey of shop- reac- tion in Heber Valley during the frigid shopping season is a lack pers, merchants are turning to word of mouth to drum up business for their stores. of options. The “Tf they can’t find souelnine ae Pil refer them — and I get that from other vendors. It’s just good business practice,” Bonan said. Yet, despite being located on top of one another, adjacent to the Twist Café © coffee house, the Craft Mall and Wandering oar see little overflow business. “The last three oes 2 Agere Christmas are the pees, cautioned Bonan. “We'll see.” oe dilemma is compounded by the notion that most in the valley pre- fer to keep their | Michele Bonan, owner of the Wandering Star, shows off her wares. money local. — But gift shop owners, who typically keep their stores open until © 6 p.m. to allow for Meanwhile, across: the street at Timberline Hardware as well as the shoppers _ .after the The Christmas season is unmistakable at king’ Ss. attracting business. It is the early snow, according to store manager Wyatt workday, insist Heber has plenty to offer. From Six Star western wear store, the weather seems to play a bigger role than Christmas in steadily increases as the holi- and. Water From The Moon. to day nears, which makes his ph a sort of Wandering Star and Old Town Craft Hoe Wetsel, not the holiday season that brings customersin. ~ © > “A good winter will dictate good beet ness,” Wetsel said. “You don’t sell any heating tape, snow shovels or ‘snow shoes if it doesn’t snow.” It's hard not to notice the holiday theme interspersed among the ham- double-edged sword. “It's a lot of work and it’s very stressful,” Carter said. “It keeps me here lots of hours, so that part I don’t like, but it’s Mall, gifts ranging from artsy clothing to exotic sculptures are plentiful. Mary Kay Dudley, one of the Old Town Craft Wandering Star alone offers hand- | Mall owners, poses next to bea crafts. ead animal camouflages by Rick Cain, | stocks up on felt hats and Wranglers for an exciting time of year, and if you don’t. ~ Huichol Indians, a wide range of beaded — | holiday: shoppers —: though ‘sales: have do it people will go somewhere else.” sculptures and a plethora of jewelry. . been a little sluggish. Employees insist, ~ Just beyond King’s is Heber’s only Bonan hopes her store and the othhowever, that December is traditionally bonafide strip mall, albeit a small one that ers will prevent people from flocking to their biggest month. _ offers several service-oriented businessthe malls. ‘Tm hoping that this December will Near the town’s entrance, holiday - es. Surrounded by a supermarket, fast sales expectations are unmistakable at food restaurants and auto shop places, be a little different,” she said. mers and nails however. Wetsel’s store offers a sort of potpourri of outdoor items — from boots and gloves to heavy equipment. ea WHEN PEOPLE CALL- US CHEAP, IT’S A COMPLIMENT AN ENERGY SOURCE EVEN TREES AND FLOWERS LOVE. acl, natural gas is more conyenient, more reliable, and costs - Natural gas emits almost no harmful pollutants when burned, making it the cleanest less. In inflation-adjusted dollars, the typical customer’s current gas bill is 22.3 percent fossil fuel available. That means less acid rain, smog, greenhouse gas emissions, solid waste less per month than it was in 1985. Back then, the annual natural gas bill for the typi- and water pollution. When you use natural gas, you helpi pive the a air and water quali- cal Utah residential customer represented ia percent of the average personal income ty for pyery living thing on earth. Conputed to ather é ;% it per household. Today, even with the recent increase, that figure is 1 percent. In fact, | alone the oS Front increased i in _ , HELPING THE ELDERLY AND every category Last ps | DEFEND CHANGES IN COST OF LIVING SINCE 1988 EXSENERENEN Perey Food ieee at Home _ Health Care EXSNINRNKINIAY Transportation Utilitie. foxes = $4.7-7 REXITRERERK 6 +29.0 Clothing cae Education’. ee HIGH +73-2 +59-2 * 4 ~~ #16.3“+12.8 aa 7 8.4 aaa : a. ; : ; » : , is them every other month, 2 Check the blower belt for wear, Oil. the blower motor, 3 Make sure the blower door is secure. & Check the vent system to keep it is of debris to breathe. Keep combus- tion-air openings clear. Clear cold-cir returns and heat registers. : Call a qualified heating professional for period- Sa — oa © J producing and trans- being In contrast, other Le. one of the advantages. : a times can use on the open marker. to price incteases. always the less want 5 lot more affordable. to to feels aS vents. so you’ may —° partially close Use window coverings. Blinds, draperies, curtains | and shutters help to slow. heat loss. 6 Use kitchen, bath or other ventilating fans sparingly in cold weather. In just one hour, these fans can blow net) ‘comfortable— astih s and » - upstairs registers. call. your air heating Heat. tises, eatie sacle Moist 4 Adjust life a little more company-owned valisarabte to national | tough, home, Use or install a humidiwarmer. and opet- Nae you're Clean furnace filters: fier. | ated company. So when all their natural gas _ reserves make One 3 of | a (ee aoe we . utilities must aisle : for times when times when you're away. — 2 helped offset rising costs. It's RY to program warmer tempera- lower temperatures for nighttime or those owned reservés—as well as some of the best. storage reservoirs in the West—have a . ia Install a programmable setback thermostat. It allows you ‘tures Questar’s access to nearby, company just These and damage. Furnaces: need ENERGY of service,” or the cost of * | porting gas only, individuals. * 7 LITTLE TIPS TO CONSERVE. Sege ~, ered to customers at “cost. like changing the oil in your car Replace | 5 assist. 867. elderly and disabled ee © pany-owned wells and is deliv- * heck your filters. Kocting Blo ue cus- ne D> ‘total gas supply comes from com- EFFICIENTLY Gas ‘with their home-heating bills. COSTS? Nearly 50 percent of Questar’s 7 STEPS TO MAKE SURE YOUR FURNACE WORKS Questar nearly $130, 000, enabling the Red Cross to _ You .|}o*. uWE CALL OU, THE: RESERVES?) © ° 1 generous es “tomers, employees and shareholders donated : Housing year, INSIDE a houseful of warm air. 7 Seal outlets and switches. Purchase inexpensive, -out Association ‘switches and outlet plates; particularly those for a contractor referral. 1-800-729-6791. | cold. precut insulation gaskets to seal ic checkups. Or-call Rocky Mountain Gas toll free at ; categories, Questar Gas. still Teaptifies one of the best values aac. DISABLED FEEL WARM against other *, ad eee “of ie pee MMT IOI T TTT - Little wonder that when air entering on outside wails. through ‘electrical ree from March 1988 to Mau? 2000, the ¢cost of nee i. | | holiday _ traffic, ter,” Dudley lamented. 4 him na (hie AS * | DECEMBER 6, 2000 : one rr Pesquisas |