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Michel Sauret/Post-Gazette

Carol Haidze, an employee at the Altmeyer's Bed & Bath store in Monroeville, displays some holiday mugs along one of the Christmas and holiday isles.

"We're all, in some degree or another, trying to do the same things," said Mr. Altmeyer, whose family has been in the business of selling home goods for decades.

Consolidation in the industry, including the closing of the Linens 'n Things stores last year, helped boost sales in some Altmeyer stores. In addition, the private company has added locations.

November and December are typically the chain's biggest months, but Mr. Altmeyer said consumers were shopping a bit differently in 2009. "I think people are postponing spending their money more into December," he said. Maybe they're hoping for sales on Christmas shower curtains or holiday napkins.

Altmeyer's team believes in advertising to keep consumers thinking about its stores. "You have to have your name out there," said Mr. Altmeyer.

Joan B. Barlow, on the other hand, hasn't had much luck with ads. The owner of Scentral Station, a small shop on East Carson Street in the South Side selling candles and oils as well as Avon products, tried it in the past.

She won't be opening at 4 a.m. on Black Friday either -- although she might consider it if she really thought she'd do a lot of business. Sales were off for the first eight months of 2009 and only recently began to pick up again.

Her stock includes 50 candle scents and 180 types of fragrance oils, including holiday concoctions such as Snowman's Tears, with a deep pine scent, and Let It Snow, a blend of pomegranate, strawberry, raspberry and peppermint. "I try to be unique with my names," she said. The products are made by people she knows, and she tries to source that way, too, including getting soybeans from a friend's Ohio farm.

She doesn't place much stock on predictions from national trade groups and universities for how the holiday shopping season will go.

The National Retail Federation's research said shoppers planned to spend 3.2 percent less than last year.

"I read all that stuff. To me, you just never know."

Over in Scott, Linda Wernikoff has kept her Crate kitchen store and cooking school going for three decades. The recession's impact was apparent this year. "We've felt it," she said. "We've definitely felt it."

Cooking classes, which range from $28 to $70, actually have done better -- "Maybe they're cooking a little bit more" -- but transactions at the cash register seem smaller.

She's expecting to do a good business in gift certificates over the holidays, and classes such as the one about hors d'oeuvres should be popular.

Crate will stay open for more hours in December, although nothing too extreme.

About as crazy as things get is at the regular seconds sales. There's one coming up the first weekend in December in which the store will have seconds from All-Clad cookware, Wusthof knives, Epicurean cutting boards and USA Pans. Typically, the sale takes over the whole store, and there are long lines.

Ms. Wernikoff said she wouldn't carry anything that isn't made in the USA and doesn't meet the staff's standards. "We turn a lot of people down."

The local touch also is evident at Trader Horn, where a delay in posting the retailer's weekly ad flier on its Web site is likely to draw e-mails demanding to know where it is. Those go directly to owner Bob Greenberger.

Trader Horn's sales were strong the first three quarters of the year, but the holiday season started off a little soft. "We're hoping to have a decent fourth quarter," Mr. Smith said.

The retailer carries a quirky blend of hardware, sporting goods, snacks, even craft supplies. Holiday business has picked up in recent years as the store added more play sets, toys and tree trimming goods. The start of hunting season on Monday also will be a factor in Black Friday sales.

Even without turning the day into a carnival, the retailer finds the general shopping frenzy spilling over into its aisles. "We see a definite bump on that day," Mr. Smith said. "They're in the shopping mood."

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