Shoppers find last-minute gifts at area antique malls

NEOSHO, Mo. — The final weekend before Christmas means busy times for everyone.

And for many, it involves a trip to several stores for last-minute Christmas shopping.

Antique-ish Mall in Neosho is one of many locally-owned places welcoming shoppers throughout the next few days.

They feature over 300 vendors, selling unique items - old and new - that are hard to find in retail stores.

Those range from tools, vinyl records, home decor, comic books, and even kids toys.

Store owner Chrissy O'Brien says this weekend typically brings a sharp uptick in customer count and sales numbers. And that means the store has to be on their A-game for success.

"We try to have as many people on staff as we can for the weekend - which is always a trick for small businesses - because you don't ever know what to prepare for or how many staff members to have without being over-staffed. Being a small business, that's the tricky part - finding the happy-median on staffing," said Chrissy O'Brien, Antique-ish Mall owner.

Antique-ish Mall will be open tomorrow from 12:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., and on Monday from 9:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

On Christmas Eve - their hours are from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m.