In Downtown Oak Park, Gift Certificate Sales Surge

Businesses in downtown Oak Park were granted a reprieve from the recession in the form of an unprecedented surge in gift certificate sales this holiday season.

Pat Zubak, executive director of Downtown Oak Park, said 2010 sales of the group's gift certificates, which can be redeemed at about 75 downtown merchants, increased 60 percent from 2009.

“We’ve had a really good January so far,” said Heather Anderson, who owns on North Marion Street. The clothing boutique opened in April 2010.

Anderson said that although she didn’t sell many gift certificates for Muse specifically, “a lot of people came in to buy gifts,” and, of course, “things for themselves.”

’s Jason Smith cites similar findings.

“January is an indulgent time for people,” he said. “They’re coming in to get what they didn’t get for Christmas.”

The independent bookstore, which Smith opened with his wife in 2003, reports consistently high sales each December. But 2010 was exceptionally good.

“Gift card sales were fantastic this year,” said Smith, noting a “very large double-digit increase” in Book Table gift card sales from last year.

He said this season’s biggest sellers were the “big nonfiction books” – think recently published autobiographies by Mark Twain, Keith Richards and Patti Smith.

In recent weeks the store has taken in a number of Oak Park gift certificates as well as Downtown Oak Park rebate certificates, Smith said.

Since its opening Nov. 6, children’s boutique has enjoyed a warm reception.

“We’re seeing Oak Park gift certificates almost daily,” said store founder Michelle Vanderlaan. “Most are using them to buy gifts for kids with birthdays coming up.”

Sugarcup Trading caters to kids, who are invited to exchange their own gently used toys and clothes for points that they can use to “buy” other items in the store.

“It helps them become educated consumers, learn to make business decisions, and recycle at the same time,” said Vanderlann, who not long ago started Oliver Wendell Holmes School on the path to becoming a .

Sugarcup Trading is Vanderlaan’s brainchild, providing an extra opportunity for kids to integrate environmental and economic sustainability into their lives.

Across the street from Sugarcup, another new enterprise is coming together: Sugar Fixe Patisserie, a French bakery slated to open later this winter.

Sounds like business downtown is slowly getting sweeter.