NORTHAMPTON — For the staff of Kestrel downtown, picking out goods for the holiday season starts in August.
The four-year-old shop, on Masonic Street, sources handmade wares from artisans across the United States, specializing in bath and body products, textiles, flowering plants, jewelry and ceramics.
“We all have a lot of fun buying for the season — finding new artisans to feature in the store,” said Emily Brennan, the assistant manager.
Christmastime is when money pours in to local businesses. That’s the hope, anyway. As the holiday shopping season kicks off, the newly formed Downtown Northampton Association is positioning stores for success — investing in light displays and encouraging shoppers to spend local.
Shoppers tote in sponsored bags to participating stores downtown, earning a 20 percent discount off one item they purchase.
“We live in a time when small businesses are struggling,” said Amy Cahillane, executive director of the Downtown Northampton Association. “A fun and easy way to support them is participating in events like Bag Day. It helps kick off the holiday season on a good note.”
Bag Day is a mainstay in Northampton. There will be changes to the downtown ambiance this year. Last year, metallic balls hanging from lampposts replaced trees that had been wrapped in lights. That change drew mixed reviews from shoppers.
Not this year, Cahillane said. Last year’s display was organized by the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce. This year, DNA has taken the lead.
“We think it’ll be gorgeous,” Cahillane said. “We had our lighting company turn on a couple of trees last week. … Even with the three trees lit it was gorgeous.”
City officials had worried about the health of trees wrapped in bulbs, but Cahillane said her team and the city have worked together to light up as many trees as possible, making sure the trees that are lit up could tolerate it.
And about those balls? They are arranged in an “interactive” display outside the County Courthouse.
The total cost for the downtown decorations is $28,000, Cahillane said.
“The money comes from voluntary contributions but is made by business owners, property owners, residents and community partners,” she said.
The highest-level contributors to DNA are Smith College, Coca-Cola, Thornes Market and TD Bank, Cahillane said.
The lights are scheduled to turn on downtown on Friday. From 5 to 8 p.m. on Dec. 9, there will also be a Holiday Stroll. Main Street will be closed for traffic during that event.
From a macro level, Bill Rennie, the vice president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, said the outlook among its members is positive this year. A release to news media showing projections was planned for Thursday morning.
“What we’re seeing, and what you’ll see in the release, is a pretty positive outlook,” he said.