Joyous Season for Merchants : Business: Shoppers in Thousand Oaks may be giving The Oaks its best sales year ever, and holiday purchases at Ventura’s Buenaventura Mall are up over ’93.

The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks is approaching record sales this holiday season with the San Buenaventura Mall in Ventura not far behind, merchants said Friday.

With nine days left before Christmas, shoppers were snapping up piles of sale items at The Oaks along with pricier gifts at such upscale shops at Ann Taylor, Baby Gap and Eddie Bauer.

Figures for November and December are not available, but sales in October were up 25% over the same time last year and merchants say the surge is continuing, said Barbara Teuscher, manager of The Oaks.

“If that trend holds up, we’ll be thrilled,” she said.

Purchases have been so brisk that Teuscher predicts this will be The Oaks’ best year ever in total sales volume, topping even the frenzied retail market of the late 1980s.

The mall’s four major department stores do not release sales figures, but the 140 smaller stores and specialty boutiques have reported a combined increase of $1 million in sales each month since February, Teuscher said.

“That can jump to several million dollars in the month of December,” she said.

Although merchants at the Buenaventura Mall are not expecting similar record-topping sales, the season is progressing at an encouraging pace, mall manager Cayse Osterlund said.

“This is probably one of the best Christmases we’ve had in a few years,” he said.

Sales figures for the holiday season are not yet available, but Osterlund said merchants have told him purchases have risen significantly over last year.

The strong sales indicate a promising rebound from the three years of recession that affected Christmas shopping, along with the rest of the economy.

“Rare is the shop owner who hasn’t been beating last year’s figures,” he said.

Many shoppers Friday said they ventured out on a weekday to beat the Christmas rush. Their strategy appeared to be successful: Parking spaces could be found in a few minutes, and lines at most shops moved quickly at both malls.

Margie Gallagher, 28, said she spent more than she intended when she began cruising the Buenaventura Mall Friday morning. Although her husband lost his job at a manufacturing plant earlier this year, she is going all-out to provide a generous Christmas for their two children, the Ventura homemaker said.

“There are so many sales, I just couldn’t resist,” Gallagher said, loaded down with six large bags of goodies. “And I’m tired of watching every penny I spend.”

At Wal-Mart in Oxnard, parents are plunking down more than $100 for such items as an oversized Barbie doll, interactive video games and plastic playhouses, assistant manager Jon Otterbacher said.

And going just as quickly are an assortment of electronic gifts, such as color televisions, camcorders, stereos and appliances, he said.

“Bread ovens are real popular this year,” Otterbacher said. “You’re talking $100 a clip for one of those things. People are spending money this year, no doubt about it.”

Wal-Mart expects its holiday sales to run about 25% higher than last year, he said.

Kit Cameron, a Simi Valley mother who was shopping for three children and her husband at The Oaks, said she came Friday to avoid most of the Christmas rush.

“It will be a madhouse tonight and this weekend,” she said. “And forget about trying to shop next week.”

Cameron juggled bags from four shops while paying for another purchase at a children’s store. She does the books for her husband’s construction business, Cameron said, but took the afternoon off to finish her Christmas shopping.

She is spending about $1,500 on Christmas gifts this year, up significantly from last year, Cameron said. Her family is able to spend more because the construction business has picked up, particularly after the Jan. 17 Northridge earthquake, she said.

Although most shoppers seemed cheerful and upbeat, 51-year-old Rich Arnold of Moorpark was one of a few who appeared to be having a less jolly time.

Arnold was leaning on a stroller jammed with gift bags while waiting in a long line with his daughter so his 1-year-old grandson, Christopher Govoruhk, could sit on Santa’s lap.

“I’ve been in this mall six hours,” Arnold grumbled. “I think Christmas is too commercialized.”

But a few minutes later, his grandson climbed up on Santa’s lap and gave the bearded man a quizzical look. Arnold started grinning, then broke into chuckles as Christopher squirmed on Santa’s lap while his picture was taken.

Afterward, he was asked if the hassle and wait had been worth it.

“Yes, for him,” said Arnold, embracing his tow-headed grandson. “But only for him.”