TWIN FALLS, Idaho — You haven't been imagining it: the roads have been bonkers recently, packed with folks in the holiday bustle as the busiest part of the retail season winds down.
I checked in with local businesses downtown and at the Magic Valley Mall to see how things were going during this final holiday shopping push.
"Our busiest time of the year is the last three or four days right before Christmas," said Andy Hohwieler, owner of Rudy's.
HEAR MORE HOW LOCAL BUSINESSES IN TWIN FALLS HAVE DONE DURING THE KEY SHOPPING SEASON:
Hohwieler reassured me that as a Christmas Eve shopper, I was far from alone.
"Husbands are coming in a little bit of a panic. 'What am I gonna get my wife?' and we're happy to help them out," Hohwieler said.
A Twin Falls institution, Rudy's is known for its wide array of kitchen and cooking equipment.
"There's a lot of intentionality behind going back to more stainless or ceramic, getting away from the black nonstick pan, so we've seen a lot of folks coming and upgrade their cookware," Hohwieler said.
After a renovation in April, Rudy's now offers more cooking and wine classes, and those experiences have been a big gift item as well.
"Our experiences for January and February [have] pretty much sold out, so a lot of people are giving experiences rather than just things or in addition to things," Hohwieler said.
Unique for the area, Rudy's offers an expanded wine selection, including a self-service tasting bar where people can enjoy wine by the glass.
Across town, over at the Magic Valley Mall, I was drawn in by the colorful and eclectic offerings at Magic Rock City.
"It's been a fun holiday season, honestly, in here," said Iliana Gomez.
Gomez has been working at Magic Rock City since July. Year-round visitors to the metaphysical store are often looking for something specific.
"It feels more of an interpersonal interaction that we have more as opposed to just kind of helping somebody find a pair of jeans or something like that. People come in here, wanting to cleanse their house and cleanse their mind— and it's deeper," Gomez said.
The store's main stock is in rocks, crystals, figurines, tapestries, incense burners— but they also have options like interesting candies, snacks, and drinks.
"We got some weird things that she won't find in your normal grocery store. For example, we have a barf soda we've got mustard. We've got buffalo wings, soda, birthday cake and we've got some spicy ones over here too," Gomez said.
"Christmas and the holidays are really big for us. We do appreciate all the people that come [to] us for the holiday," said Nickole Thompson, Magic Rock City owner.
Thompson says the holiday increase in foot traffic is always a welcome boost.
"We've really enjoyed it here, and the community has been fantastic and accepting us here, and we've enjoyed it a lot," Thompson said.
