It's normal for small businesses to sell holiday-themed items this time of year, but in Merrickville, Ont., stores take things to the next level.
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"Merrickville is sort of the quintessential Hallmark Village with beautiful buildings, beautiful backdrop, for anything holiday related," said Winston Card, the co-owner of Chaiya Décor, a gardening store in the town located southwest of Ottawa.
On the town's main street, nearly every shop is completely covered in Christmas decorations. Card says that's the case for every holiday during the year.
"We love to decorate up the village for various holidays. We all try to work together in the spirit of cooperation. It really is an amazing place to live and work," Card said.
Some don't stop at decorations outside. Nellie's Room transforms their entire shop into a Christmas store.
"We bring everything in from storage and we set it all up," said Janet Gaskell, who co-owns the store with her sisters. "The three of us love Christmas. We always have. So it's a big time of year for us."
Merrickville is a town of just a few thousand people, relying heavily on outside visitors to support the businesses throughout the year.
"We enjoy having our neighbours come in from in and around the region," said Merrickville Mayor Michael Cameron.
"It's exciting times in Merrickville."
One store in particular thrives this time of year.
The Merry Christmas Shop, co-owned by Heather Dallaire, sells Christmas-themed items all year, setting them apart from other stores.
"October, November, December are the major business for us here," Dallaire said.
The store's walls are lined with tree ornaments, displays with Christmas mugs and sweaters at every turn.
But how does the business operate during the dog days of summer?
According to Dallaire, since Merrickville brings in tourists all year, they get a surprising amount of business from people who know they likely won't be back to the town before Christmas.
"In the summer it's a different market. It's visitors and they're not here at Christmas, so they tend to pick up while they're here," she said.
