Eve’s procrastinators deliver

It took winning $5,000 in a game show this summer for Greg Katz to have enough money to put toward all his holiday shopping. And Katz still managed to practically max out his credit cards just to find the right gifts.

Last-minute Christmas shoppers Monday gave a much-needed boost to some local businesses that have struggled in a slumping economic climate this past year.

Nationwide, sales reached $9.36 billion Saturday, up 7.6% from $8.7 billion the same day a year ago, according to ShopperTrak RCT Corp., which tracks sales at more than 50,000 stores.

Katz did most of his last-minute purchasing Monday at The Camp in Costa Mesa, and found he was not alone in his pursuits.

Many holiday shoppers held out until only one shopping day remained, scrambling around town to pick up the last few presents for hard-to-shop-for parents or spouses.

“I’m vegetarian but they’re not, so I try to force my lifestyle on them when I can,” Katz said jokingly. “Too often you buy things you think they will like and they don’t. So instead I buy what I like and then try it out on them.”

People streamed in and out all day at Humanitaire ( www.shophumanitaire.com) the vegan shoe and accessory shop where Katz, 22, purchased “animal-friendly” purses for his mother and grandmother. Most who stopped in to buy a present for a loved one ended up walking out with a brand new pair of stylish shoes for themselves as well.

The biggest sellers are the Madden line of shoes from the Steve Madden brand. The store can’t keep the boots in stock this year, shop staff said.

That’s pretty much been the norm all week, many of the businesses in the SoBeCa shopping district off Bristol Street noticed. Arth ( www.arthhat.com), a hat shop in the Lab anti-mall, had many customers leaving with gifts for their own heads on top of their other purchases. The upscale hat boutique offers decadent head gear ranging from straw fedoras to snake skin trucker hats. Also, the price limit for many gifts has climbed over the last week, said Christine Nguyen, one of the Arth staff.

“People are starting to aim higher,” Nguyen said. “They tend to buy hats priced $100 and above now, just because it’s Christmas.”

Last-minute shopper Katie Cool browsed the shelves at Arth for a gift for her husband Monday, because he had bought her a present although the couple wasn’t planning on exchanging gifts that year.

“The kids are getting less this year, because they want bigger things,” Cool said. Her teenage daughter will get an iPod this year, but nothing else. Her three sons also wanted a big-ticket item, a Sony PlayStation 3, which retails for about $500.

“It’s easier to shop, but it makes it less exciting,” Cool said.

Businesses offering novelty items and services, like the hat and shoe shops, said things were slow until the last week, and then things have certainly picked up. But as for the rest of the year, things have been tight with the economy in its present state, shoppers and businesses agreed.

At Liburdi’s Scuba Center ( www.liburdisscuba.com), last-minute shoppers splurged Monday on diving gear and gift certificates good for scuba classes. Business has picked up in the past two weeks, after flagging sales all year, owner Matthew Liburdi said.

“We’re a leisure and recreation business, so we’re the first ones to get hurt,” Liburdi said. The scuba center offers training classes for both beginners and skilled divers, international scuba trips, as well as diving and underwater photography gear. A housing market slump, credit crisis and rising gas and food prices have led to a slow year for Liburdi. Sales have been down 40% over the past two years, he said, and he’s had to reduce his staff.

Business from die-hard divers who are already into the sport has been steady, but fewer people get into the sport when the economy is bad, Liburdi said.

“The new people are very slow,” he said.

BRIANNA BAILEY may be reached at (714) 966-4625 or at [email protected].