December 25: Open Doors Amid The Closed Stores

By Chris Earl, Anchor/Reporter

Tools

By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Dec 24, 2010 at 11:07 PM CDT

Story Updated: Dec 24, 2010 at 11:17 PM CDT

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Restlessness on Christmas Day can lead to people pulling away from the dinner table and leaving the house. But, on a day where nearly every store is closed, where can they go?

“Everybody visits family and, at some point, everyone gets tired of playing with presents of listening to old jokes so they go out to a movie and have some fun,” said Bruce Taylor, owner of Collins Road Theatres in Marion.

Taylor has operated the theatre since 2003 and said he expects his eighth Christmas Day to have full staffing. “The only change we make is dropping the first show of the day, that way the staff has a little bit of time with their families,” said Taylor. “Other than that, it’s another busy day.”

While more and more stores and retailers are open, at some point, for Thanksgiving, very few businesses still operate on Christmas Day. In the Cedar Rapids area, Hy-Vee, Target and Walmart will not re-open until Sunday, December 26th, leaving the drug stores and gas stations that are open to sell those last-minute gallons of milk and other groceries.

The fresh snow that blanketed Cedar Rapids on Friday also left downtown quiet and cold. Bricks Bar & Grill, on Second Avenue SE, was one of the few spots open late Friday night.

“I used to run a bowling alley and those (bowling and movies) are the two most popular places to go on a holiday,” said Chad Coutts, manager at Bricks. A handful of people filled the booths and barstools on Christmas Eve but Coutts said they will be open on December 25th.

“There’s background noise and you don’t have to listen to the family,” joked Coutts.

As for bowling, Darrell Pelton, of the Cedar Rapids Bowling Center, said they will not have full staffing for Christmas Day but they expect more than a few customers to roll a few frames.

“We’ll be expecting a lot of family groups to come out and have a good time after opening gifts and dinner,” said Pelton.

While the major retailers in Cedar Rapids will not be open for Christmas Day, the businesses are still targeting shoppers to dial up their websites, credit cards in hand. The attraction for shoppers? No lines, which can be expected on Sunday, especially for returning gifts.

Next Article Man Arrested for OWI with Zebra, Parrot in Front Seat of Truck

Conversation Guidelines

Be Kind

Don't use abusive, offensive, threatening, racist, vulgar or sexually-oriented language.
Don't attack someone personally. Keep it civil and be responsible.

Share Knowledge

Be truthful. Share what you know and what you are passionate about.
What more do you want to learn? Keep it simple.

Stay focused

Promote lively and healthy debate. Stay on topic. Ask questions and give feedback on the story's topic.

Report Trouble

Help us maintain a quality comment section by reporting comments that are offensive. If you see a comment that is offensive, or you feel violates our guidelines, simply click on the "x" to the far right of the comment to report it.

read the full guidelines here »

Commenting will be disabled on stories dealing with the following subject matter: Crime, sexual abuse, property fires, automobile accidents, Amber Alerts, Operation Quickfinds and suicides.