Waves of Creation

By Liz Boardman/Independent Staff Writer

Diane Powers, an honorary member of the Arbutus Garden Club, and Joe Iacoi, executive director of the South Kingstown Chamber of Commerce, put the finishing touches on one of the large wreaths that will decorate downtown Wakefield and Peace Dale this holiday season. The wreaths will be hung by Rick Holland of Holland Electric. The club, founded in 1947, gathers each year at the Westmoreland Regional Sewage Treatment Facility in Narragansett to prepare the wreaths for the decorating program sponsored by the Chamber. (Photo by Selena Millard)

As Black Friday approaches, local storeowners are stocking shelves with locally produced gifts and lower cost items for the holiday shopping season.

“This is the time of year to support local businesses,” said Joe Iacoi, the executive director of the South Kingstown Chamber of Commerce. “We need to keep the local economy going.”

To attract shoppers in a difficult economy, villages and shops are hosting special events. The stores on Main and Robinson streets in Wakefield will be open late for the annual Ladies’ Night and Luminary Stroll on Thursday, Dec. 3, and some will stay open later on the third Thursday of the month, as part of a campaign begun a few months ago.

South Kingstown Chamber of Commerce members Wallace Tree Service and Holland Electric will be hanging wreaths and decorating Main Street, said Iacoi, and he encourages businesses and homes to participate in the Chamber’s new online holiday decorating contest, where people can upload photos of their decorations to the chamber Web site.

The South Kingstown Chamber also is offering gift certificates that can be used at member businesses.