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Latecomers may miss the hot gifts BYLINE: RENEE DEGROSS Big sales days are ahead for retailers -- and shoppers. Forecasts call for a rebound in holiday spending after two lackluster years. But tighter inventory controls at stores mean greater potential for sellouts of popular gifts before Christmas. So procrastinators might want to reconsider waiting until the last minute. "The smart consumer this year will start early," said Ellen Tolley, a spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation. "This is not hype, this is not buzz, this is reality." National Vision forges ahead National Vision sees a big opportunity in home medical equipment, which it plans to test inside Wal-Marts next year. Lawrenceville-based National Vision already operates 400 eye care stores inside Wal-Mart locations. However, the chain's expansion hit a pothole in 1999 when Wal-Mart opened its own optical stores. National Vision fell into bankruptcy but emerged with a stronger focus on its core Wal-Mart business and began exploring other opportunities, including sales of scooters, wheeled walkers, canes and other home medical equipment. Reade Fahs, president and chief executive officer of National Vision, said the aging population and the fact that medical supply stores are mostly run by smaller companies made the opportunity more appealing. The company expects to select two undisclosed Wal-Mart sites and open locations in the first half of 2004. Haircuts designed for kids Children who squirm at the idea of getting a haircut might actually warm to the idea at Snip-its when the chain opens its first of at least five locations in metro Atlanta next week. Snip-its, with its brightly colored decor, opens at the Forum PeachtreeParkway. Other locations are tentatively planned for Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Alpharetta, Lawrenceville, east Cobb and Buford. Natick, Mass.-based Snip-its was founded by Joanna Meiseles, granddaughter of legendary comedian Jack Benny. The salons are every bit as entertaining, with whimsical cartoon characters such as Snips the Scissors or Curly Comb performing every 20 minutes. Each child also gets a lock of hair placed in a box on the way out. Both Art Stores shuttered The Art Store is an open-and-shut case. The arts-and-crafts retailer opened little more than a year ago in Brookwood Place, then later expanded to a second location in Perimeter Village. Both stores closed this month. "We needed a stronger store base," said Art Store spokeswoman Eunice Feller. Feller said that usually Art Stores see stronger sales growth sooner than most chains, but that these stores were not performing up to expectations. The company, based in Milford, Mass., operates most of its 12 locations in the western United States. Little Bucks goes for four Little Bucks, an upstart dollar store chain, has opened its fourth location. The new store, on Memorial Drive in Stone Mountain, opened Nov. 21 and is the fourth this year for Little Bucks. Its other stores are in Roswell, Marietta and Warner Robins. The chain debuted last spring with $5 million in private-investor financing, including cookie magnate Michael Coles, founder of Great American Cookie Co. Little Bucks is the brainchild of I.J. Rosenberg, a former Atlanta Journal-Constitution sportswriter who later became a stockbroker. The company expects to open 28 stores in the metro area during the next four years. Of note ... Rugged Wearhouse, an off-price apparel and accessories store, has opened two more stores in the metro area. Stores opened in Gwinnett Market Fair at 3675 Satellite Blvd. in Duluth and in Roswell Town Center at 608 Holcomb Bridge Road. The chain opened stores in Buford, Stone Mountain and Newnan earlier this year. rdegross@ajc.com
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