Hattiesburg shoppers show up by the hundreds for last-minute shopping

PINE BELT, Miss. (WDAM) – Shoppers in the Hub City made their final visits to Turtle Creek Mall before Christmas.

The mall opened and closed a few hours early, so Raymond Thomas and his family had to be there.

Thomas spends a lot of time each year working to ensure his kids get everything they want for Christmas.

Christmas Eve was all about new outfits and shoes to match.

“I had got some shoes, some kind of pink dunks,” Thomas’ daughter Marleya said.

LaShonda Vaughn was also there doing a little shopping for the kids.

Vaughn admitted that she is a last-minute shopper, but the mall never fails to meet her needs.

“Hattiesburg mall has all the good stores and you meet a lot of nice people and just being out with the crowd,” Vaughn said.

While everyone waits for the big day, Kimberly Ray believes each day is a gift.

That’s the name of her gift-wrapping business that she runs each December when she’s not teaching school.

“We do have a few who say, ‘Oh, I can do this at home. I just don’t feel like it,” Ray said. “So, we don’t know for sure. But most are like, ‘No, I don’t know how to wrap. Can you teach me?’”

Ray added that it’s important to support small businesses around this time, especially with so many other malls closing.

“If you guys have traveled and saw other local malls, a lot of them are shutting down,” said Ray. “So, we’re happy that our mall is thriving. We can make money.”

Thomas said he and his crew were headed home now that their shopping list is clear.

Their next stop was the dinner table.

“Eat, you know we gotta eat,” said Thomas. “As long as we do that and we’re around family, that’s all that matters.”

And if you happen to be alone Christmas Day, Vaughn said there’s always room at her house.

“I just pray that God comforts them and be there for them,” said Vaughn. “You could always come to my house.”

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