NORTH HOLLYWOOD : Mall Merchants Worry About Holiday Season

If you have time to read this, you’re not shopping hard enough.

Although there are some encouraging signs of an improving economy, merchants at Laurel Plaza Mall in North Hollywood are reluctant to predict how this year’s shopping season will go.

“It’s a make it or break it year,” said Vicky Goldstein, manager of Claire’s Boutique at the mall. Although she says her jewelry shop is doing better than last year, she maintains that “those who don’t make it are going to get closed.”

Traditions like Santa Claus (scheduled to appear Saturday), Christmas ornament boutiques and Hickory Farms gift packs are designed to lure holiday shoppers. But some merchants fear it may already be too late.

“Very few people have ordered for Christmas,” said Vicki Tama, a custom frame designer at the Frame Factory. “I was expecting business to double. It has not doubled. As far as the economy goes, it’s like Rome fell this way.”

But Joel Greenberg paints a different picture.

“So far, this is the best holiday season we have had in three years,” said Greenberg, who owns Real Faces portrait studios.

Tricia Delgado’s purchases probably won’t be counted among those made during the peak of the season--the 23-year-old put the finishing touches on her holiday Wednesday, seeking bows to put on her Christmas tree.

“I’m not a last-minute shopper,” the Sylmar resident said. “I like to get ahead.”

For Yrene Ysea, the key is not how hard you shop, but how long you can last. The mall’s ice-skating rink, cappuccino bar and convenient size provide a relaxing atmosphere that kindles her holiday spirits and opens her checkbook.

Said the 28-year-old mother of two: “I can sit and drink coffee and shop for hours while the kids skate.”