Retail rush is on to make a holiday deadline and beat the rain

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The hectic holiday season has a tighter schedule now with rain coming. Both retailers and shoppers are trying to make the most of it before a week of wet weather.

Forecasters in the Newschannel First Alert weather center are showing rain on the Central Coast from Sunday evening until Friday. It is still to be determined how much will come down and where. It looks like Wednesday could be the wettest day.

That means, this weekend with sunny weather, could be the prime time for shoppers. Some areas, like Solvang, said the number of people in town last Saturday, in sunshine, began exceeding the capacity on sidewalks throughout the main shopping core.

"I feel very fortunate that the weather Gods are cooperating and it is going to rain on Monday," said Zoe Bikini store owner Zoe Magee.

Santa Barbara's State Street promenade has been providing a welcoming experience. There's been live music, outside activities, a picturesque tree and snow falling nightly in the Paseo Nuevo mall. The Santa Barbara Downtown Organization has been collaborating with businesses to have both an individual and collective approach to their holiday sales.

The wet weather could slow the flow of people down significantly and generally does with outside dining less of an option during cold, wet, gloomy or windy conditions.

Shopping locally also comes with in-person expertise.

You can often find some hand picked items by the store owners for sale on the display racks.

"I like to have fun colorful kind of niche pieces like these furry little vests," said Magee while pulling items off the racks to show to a visitor. The former specialist in swimwear has widened her offerings to have dresses, jackets, sweaters and space for local jewelry vendors to come in person. Some of the vendors will be on site Saturday for a special event.

Tourists often come through the door here on the 400 block of State Street, and she's hoping to see more local shoppers.

"Support all of us because us little small designers boutiques, small businesses, we are the heart and soul of Santa Barbara. "

 You often find one-of-a-kind or handmade items in these stores.   Like colorful heart hats, a huge seller at the Zoe Bikini store. Magee sews them by hand with leftover material from her other designs.  They are also on hoodies too. You will also see specialized sellers like local jewelry makers, sharing the space with their unique creations. "I like to support them because they don't have a retail venue to set up," she said.

At the Italian Pottery Outlet,  the hand painted pottery from Italy has been a big draw for years, but the store also has hundreds of other items from different types of decor to cooking and fun books. There's and a children's gift section.

"There's a lot more, just come in and  have a look in every price range too," said Adele Spalluto who owns the store with her family. She says the store has something for everyone and often customers are surprised at the selection. Their internet sales have also been consistently strong.

As school lets out at UC Santa Barbara for the holiday break, Spalluto says she has seen more students shopping for gifts for their parents.

Last year the store celebrated four decades and some of the shoppers have been coming in since the beginning.

Some customers are often surprised when they walk into stores if they haven't been in the area shopping for awhile. Spalluto says, "they are surprised and like  how long have you been here?  40 years !"

Magee says when she gets the same question she says,  "two and a half years! I've been here awhile."

Many retailers are planning special events and later hours as the final shopping days approach.