Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Young duffer Johnny Carr strikes a pose with an iron in his shop on Lincoln Avenue.
Local merchants get ready for hordes of shoppers mobbing Lincoln Avenue
Up and down the Avenue, shoppers can find dozens of summer specials featuring just about anything
By Chantal Lamers
While 10,000 people are Dancing on the Avenue June 17, another 10,000 will be shopping the Avenue's Sidewalk Sale.
Tammi Kames, Dodads owner and Willow Glen Business & Professional Association board member, is racking up local businesses to participate in the Sidewalk Sale. Store owners are setting up booths outsides businesses, with merchandise that will reflect a little something of what their stores have to offer, Kames says.
Dozens of businesses are gearing up for the seventh annual summer celebration. WGBPA estimates about 20,000 people will make their way down the avenue for a little eating, a little dancing and a lot of shopping.
At Art Made to Match, owner Edward Seichei is planning a 5 p.m. art show featuring artist Jeff Thies. Thies' laser-cut metal line will include tables, chairs and wine racks. Outside the studio, at 1000 Lincoln Ave., crowds can dig into tasty barbecued ribs while dancing to the tunes of the featured rock a billy blues band. And while Glenites dance under the sun, Seichei will raffle off a piece of art.
Up the avenue, shoppers will find summer specials outside of Freckles, Daisy Patch, Signed and Sealed, Willow Glen Books, Hicklebee's Children's Book Store, Sachs Day Spa, Swinger's Golf Gear, Posey Garden Florist, Details Clothing Co., People's Pants, Park Place Vintage Clothing and Casa Casa.
At Casa Casa, shoppers can pick up ivy topiaries of all shapes and sizes. Known for these decorative household plants, owners plan on selling plenty of them to passer-bys.
Go directly to Park Place and pick up some vintage wear like festive Hawaiian shirts, authentic leopard faux fur coats and rhinestone sunglasses. Shoppers will discover old favorites like metal Strawberry Shortcake lunch boxes, orange-colored kitchen flour tins and yellow polka-dotted lemonade glasses.
Details Clothing Co. and People's Pants will sell Willow Glen traditional favorites like T-shirts and tank tops with a postage stamp print that'll read "Willow Glen 95125." Glenites can also get their hands on tanks and tees that read "London, Paris, Rome, Willow Glen."
Details co-owner Bernie Lavine said the shirts sell well every year and get people into the groove of their cozy neighborhood. Lavine said shoppers can also sort through a clearance rack of Hawaiian shirts and a variety of summer shorts. Next door, shoppers can sift through a People's Pants clearance rack with items ranging from $5 to $10.
Looking for a little something to wear while putting on the green? Swingers Golf Gear will outfit any Tiger Woods wanna-be. Owner Johnny Carr plans on selling golf T-shirts and baseball caps with the famous Swingers logo. While debating which shirt to buy, shoppers can putt a few golf balls outside the store.
Outside Posey Garden Florist, co-owner Pat Barone says she's setting up a flower cart full of fresh cut flowers and small summer houseplants. And outside Sachs Day Spa, people looking to relax can purchase aromatherapy candles and discover the long list of services the spa has to offer, like Swedish and deep muscle massage, sea salt body polish and glycolic acid facials.
Kames assures there will be a little something for everybody to take home during Dancing on the Avenue. There's nothing like a lot of shopping to make Dancing on the Avenue a big success for the small business on Lincoln Avenue, Kames says.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
