It's been a year on the move for many Whitehorse retailers; that's translating into a successful holiday season for many.

Many store managers around the city believe the moves they've made this year helped their holiday sales, which, by all accounts, seem to be up this year.

'The season is unbelievably busy. Everyone's run off their feet,' said David Pharand, who co-manages the Board Stiff shop on Main Street with Michael Collins, just before he ran some items through the store's till.

Stores that once graced the top floor of the Hougen Centre, like Board Stiff and Season's Fashions, have moved down to ground level on Main Street.

Businesses like Erik's Audiotronic, which sat on ground level, have migrated into larger shops downtown.

The Qwanlin Mall has also seen its parking lot crammed with vehicles for the first time in several years as more shops have come into what was a largely vacant mall except for Staples and Extra Foods.

Inside the former Reitmans store at the mall is a space dedicated to Yukon-made products. Meanwhile, Liquidation World took over the other half of the former Real Canadian Superstore next door to Staples just in time for the holiday rush.

Many shops are reporting high sales in clothing.

At Board Stiff, women's clothing such as jackets and pants as well as backpacks have been among the top sellers for Christmas, with their new shop providing about double the space compared to what they had in the 'cage' on the upper level of Hougen, Pharand said.

It has allowed more room for clothing, including the addition of more mature clothing that goes beyond the teenage crowd.

'We have a little more backing,' Pharand said, noting the new shop has provided a better image for Board Stiff with its new lighting and flooring compared to things like ripped-up carpet that were in the former locale.

For many in Whitehorse, it seems to be a new shopping experience.

'My favourite comment I've heard so far is: For a moment, I forgot I was in Whitehorse,' ' Pharand said.

With double the space has come double the sales and a change to how snowboard packages are sold.

'There's a lot more options,' he said. 'People are getting quality.'

With the recognition that not all boots and equipment work for the same people, Pharand and co-manager Collins have moved into selling custom snowboard packages.

'I mix and match,' Pharand said, noting boots are the most important feature of a package.

If someone comes in looking for a cheaper package, Pharand may take equipment from last year that's been marked down.

He also tries to educate his customers on why equipment may be more expensive than they would find at a ski swap. A lot of the equipment being sold second-hand won't last as long as the new equipment sold at Board Stiff, he noted.

Nearby at Season's Fashions, staff and shoppers are also enjoying being on street level.

'It seems busy. There's definitely lots of shoppers,' Beverly Muff said.

Muff has worked for more than 30 years with the business and while she's the office manager, she also does a bit of everything around the store.

Shoppers have told Muff they're happy to see the store move to the Main Street level, with a lot of senior shoppers saying they never came into the store previously because they didn't want to use the stairs to go up to the shop.

The clothing store is selling a lot of jackets, pants as well as evening wear this Christmas season, Muff said.

Meanwhile, as the latest retailer to move to Whitehorse just a couple of weeks ago, Liquidation World is enjoying both a successful grand opening and Christmas rush all in one.

The store is a mix of stock from other retailers that had extra inventory, went bankrupt or closed.

'It's a home run,' store manager Tyler Murray said in an interview Thursday afternoon.

Many items are 'running off the shelves' including a lot of Radio Shack products such as remote control cars.

The store recently marked the items down to 75 per cent off, which means what was originally a $200-product is now down to about $60, Murray pointed out.

Furniture and housewares also top the list for Christmas shoppers at the store, he said.

Sales appear to be even better than what Murray had anticipated for the holidays.

During their grand opening, he ran into one shopper buying items like a spatula and other housewares simply because the man's wife wouldn't believe what he had paid for them.

'It's just unreal,' Murray said.

The store manager has also heard from others that Liquidation World has made the Qwanlin Mall busier than it's been in recent memory.

Meanwhile, as Canadian Tire staff plan to make their move next spring to the new larger store next to Wal-Mart, they too are enjoying a busy Christmas season.

'It's up over last year,' manager Craig Rogers said Wednesday.

Rogers had anticipated that with Christmas falling on a Monday, it may have been a little quieter through this week with many saving their shopping for the weekend.

However, shoppers have been steadily dropping by the store to pick up a little bit of everything. Rogers noted it may be that the colder weather over this year has helped put people in the Christmas mood.

Meanwhile, the local Wal-Mart is also seeing the Whitehorse Christmas trend of shoppers buying clothing and jewelry, Wal-Mart spokeswoman Christie Gallagher said in an interview fromm Toronto Thursday.

'This has been a really successful December,' she said of the overall season for Wal-Mart stores across the country. 'We've just been overwhelmed.'

Also a success was the in-store food drive in Whitehorse, where many customers bought items for the food bank, she said.

This year, Wal-Mart kept 59 stores open 24 hours a day for the holiday season and may continue to expand that in future years, Gallagher said, not ruling out the possibility of the Whitehorse store being added to the 24 hour schedule for the holidays.

'Certainly, we'll be looking,' she said.

This also marks the one holiday season when Yukoners will be able to purchase 2007 Canada Winter Games gear for friends and relatives from the official store in the Canada Games Centre, the volunteer office downtown or Sportslife in the Hougen Centre.

'We've had fabulous Christmas sales,' Judy Nadon, who manages the shop at the Games centre, said Thursday. 'We've been madly guessing sizes.'

Many are buying the Games clothing from the shop, especially hoodies, for friends and family Outside. Nadon has tried to make sure shoppers know the store doesn't offer refunds, but will do exchanges on its items.

The expanding number of sales has left Nadon having to restock about 100 pieces each day before she opens the store.

In addition to hoodies, the shop is selling a lot of fleece jackets. Nadon is especially pleased with the exceptional colours the clothing has come in, including a sunset shade and a 'gorgeous' sprout green.

Shoppers who walk into the store, which moved into a bigger space at the centre just a couple of months ago, often come bearing the 20-per-cent-off coupon that went out to employees of businesses sponsoring the Games. Many people seem to have been hanging onto them waiting for the Christmas shopping season, she said.

The coupon knocks 20 per cent off every piece of clothing purchased, rather than just the overall purchase price, Nadon said.

'It was a great promotion,' she said, pointing out that Winter Games have the benefit of the Christmas shopping season, while Summer Games don't.

It's unlikely the Games shop would be attracting the same amount of business this far out from the national event if it weren't for Christmas shopping, she said. A month ago, when she took on the job, she wasn't sure how much business to expect.

'Everything is just perking,' she said.