Every Day's a Holiday at New Asbury Avenue Store

At a time when many small retail stores are closing, Kathy Johnson opened two.

A visit to one of Johnson's shops is a delight for all the senses.

The array of Christmas merchandise at Kathy's Holiday at 11th Street and Asbury Avenue is arranged by theme and color, a visual treat for the eye. The aroma is that of Butterfly Kisses, a candle scent specially created to replicate the smell of her shop. There are handmade-in-America crafts to touch, decorating and design tips to hear, and gourmet coffees to taste during open houses on the weekends.

"It's an experience to come to my stores," says Johnson, who opened at 709 Asbury in July and at 1101 Asbury in August. "People leave here saying it smelled good, or they learned something, and that they had fun."

Johnson, a Galloway Township resident who owned an interior design business in Brick Township for eight years before relocating to Ocean City in the summer, continues to offer that service while operating her two stores.

Kathy's of Ocean City, which she refers to as her "beach shop," specializes in artwork, lamps, area rugs, upholstery and home decor that relates to the shore. That store, which she has accessorized for the holidays, is open by appointment at this time of year.

Kathy's Holiday, which is currently wall-to-wall Christmas decor, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. Halloween and Thanksgiving themes recently were removed from exhibit, and after Christmas, Johnson will start incorporating Easter decorations into her displays.

A licensed interior designer by the Board of Architecture, Johnson has won awards with her impressive portfolio of waterfront homes she's decorated from floor to ceiling. She earned a design degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y., and an MBA from Rivier College in Nashua, N.H. While living in New Hampshire in the 1990s, she owned a design firm and taught college classes.

It is that teaching background that influences much of what she does at Kathy's Holiday. Customers are invited to participate and interact during demonstrations, such as the proper way to burn a candle.

Candles are a big draw no matter the season. Johnson has her own private label gourmet coffees, soaps and candles, with about 30 candle scents available between her two stores. A scent named Ocean City does well at her beach shop, and the previously mentioned Butterfly Kisses is her best-seller by far. Seasonally, she has such scents as Christmas in Ocean City and Snowman Poop, which smells faintly of pine. All of the candles are soy and double-wicked. 

"Soy burns sootless," Johnson says, "so it's environmentally friendly and healthier for you. Plus, it burns only 2 degrees higher than your body temperature, so the melted oil won't burn you."

Large candles cost $15 and burn for 85 hours, small flowerpot-shaped ones cost $4 and burn for 18 hours. The scents of the candles and the olive oil-based soaps are coordinated for gift-giving convenience, with large soap bars costing $6 and mini, sample-size bars costing $2.

Kathy's Holiday, which recently participated in the Charity League event at Greate Bay in Somers Point, is participating in the Ocean City PTA fundraiser on Dec. 8 at the Intermediate School. Johnson also offers the use of her building to nonprofits for private shopping events, donating 20 percent of the evening's sales to the nonprofit hosting the event.

Additionally, she awards a $100 gift certificate weekly to the winner of a drawing, held after closing on Wednesdays. The winning name is selected from the Lucky Bucket (actually, a large glass jar) and the customer can get free decorating advice from Johnson as well as merchandise when claiming the prize.  

Many of the items for sale at Kathy's Holiday are handmade in America, including elves with bodies crafted from vintage spice cans, mermaids and angels of ceramic, and snow people wearing felt clothing.

"The difference is in the quality," Johnson says of the made-in-the-USA merchandise, much of it created by women who run home-based businesses.

For Christmas, Johnson offers two good-luck tips: Put a bird on your tree and burn a bayberry votive candle on Christmas Eve. She says she has her eye on a fancy golden-hued bird hanging in the shop and plans to take it home to her own tree.

More information: Call 609-399-0985. Join Kathy's Holiday Buying Club on Facebook.