Regardless of the time of year, you can’t help in the feeling of awe when you walk through the doors of Ho Ho Ho, the Christmas store in Scotia Centre. Immediately you get that warm feeling that comes with fond memories of Christmases past and anticipation of the future. It is this magic that has had made the store successful as it approaches its third Christmas season in Calgary.

“Previously we had a store in Regina and then in Saskatoon. The store in Regina was a temporary store and was only open four to five months a year. The Calgary store is open year round with 2000 square feet, expanding to 6000 square feet for Christmas,” owner Kieth Letourneau told GayCalgary.com during a visit to the store.

The average shopper may wonder many things about the store such as how it stays in business. Letourneau explained that Ho Ho Ho is much more than your average Christmas store.

“A lot of people come in for the warm fuzzy feeling Christmas gives you, which brings them into the store year round. People ask ‘Don’t you get sick of the Christmas Music?’ To be honest most of the year the music is just there. The only time I notice the music is during the Christmas season because it is relevant. Otherwise it’s like listening to elevator music. In addition we do more than just Christmas – we had a huge Halloween rush, we have one of the largest Halloween collections in the city. We do events like Valentines, Easter, and when the Flames were on their playoff rush we expanded our playoff line. We have a Stampede line in the summer, and we have a lot of tourists as well that purchase when they come here.”

Opening the store was a long-time dream of Letourneau, who has seen that dream become reality over the past five years.

“I used to live in Northern Alberta and loved Kringles in Edmonton, and of course there was an amazing Christmas store in Banff. I always thought that when I retired I wanted a Christmas store. I got an opportunity with a one-week window to decide if I wanted to do the store in Regina. I had just sold a previous business and the ideal opportunity was there with everything already set up and the right price. Now when I look at it, I was naive thinking I could do it as retirement.”

After runs in Saskatchewan, Letourneau considered his options in Alberta.

“I considered buying Kringles in Edmonton, which was for sale at the time, but it wasn’t beneficial. I looked at locations in Edmonton and Calgary, and location and rental price made everything right to choose Calgary. I chose Scotia Centre because the store size was appealing, I was initially going to set up on a temporary basis and the location was formerly a western store so it had a lot of decorating that suited what I was looking for.”

What makes the store unique is the vast array of choices they offer. Themed decorations, sports memorabilia, animals (they boast having 60 different breeds of dogs available in ornaments), and elaborate villages and upscale decorations – you’re bound to find something that tickles your fancy.

“There are very few things we don’t have – we specialize in this so we can offer more variety. People who come in for their own tree tend to buy more traditional stuff, while they will find something more relevant for someone else as a gift. There are a few people that specifically collect things; one regular collects M&M decorations, another likes Peanuts characters. We had a customer who collects Ladybugs, and you can’t find Ladybug ornaments anywhere but we have four different varieties. People who come to the store find what they are looking for. As well, the product line we offer is a better quality product than you find elsewhere. We carry product that other places can’t or won’t carry such as Polonaise and Christopher Radko glass ornaments. That appeals to people.”

Letourneau also feels staffing is a big part of his success. The store employs four permanent staff year round and increases to 12 at Christmas time. “Our staff makes sure that people who walk into our store find what they are looking for, whatever suits them.”

The store also features a line of gay themed Christmas decorations.

“We have through the Polonaise collection rainbow flag ornaments – its hand blown glass dipped in silver and then hand painted and laminated. It is a special ornament. We have an assortment of rainbow ornaments, light covers, garlands and even a rainbow tree! The tree is…like the old fashioned silver tree but each level is a different color of the rainbow.”

The staff delights in watching someone set foot in the store for the first time. The grins on their faces are noticeable as the wonder and glee becomes evident on the faces of young and old.

“It is very cool when people come in and are mesmerized by the store. We have a large regular clientele who bring in their kids, and the second the children walk in the door they are in a dream world. Kids can’t wait to come to the store and be part of it. We also have people who only come for other occasions such as Halloween. Being a full time store we can do so much more than we could just setting up for a temporary location.”

Ho Ho Ho, the Christmas Store
225 7 Ave SW (Scotia Centre Mall)
(403) 398-4685