NATCHEZ &8212; With many holiday gift lists already made out, shopping downtown can be a treat, merchants said Tuesday.

Shopping downtown keeps money in Natchez and provides good customer service, Downtown Development Association Director Tammi Gardner said.

&8220;People like to come here because there are different things,&8221; Gardner said. &8220;It&8217;s not like a mall where you get cookie-cutter stores &8212; we have unique shops.&8221;

Chamber of Commerce Chairman Stephen Caruthers said he is making a point of shopping locally to help local businesses and the local economy.

&8220;I think if they will investigate the stores in town, they&8217;ll find that we have almost anything they need,&8221; Caruthers said. &8220;And since this is a busy time of year, it&8217;s a lot more convenient to purchase something locally than fight lines and spend time traveling.&8221;

Louise Peabody, owner of Intimate Home and My Room, said she thought the uniqueness of the stores, knowledge of merchandise, personal attention and lack of crowds made downtown shopping a great idea.

&8220;If you walk and shop downtown, it&8217;s a warm and fuzzy feeling,&8221; Peabody said. &8220;Window shopping doesn&8217;t really exist when you have to go to the strip malls.&8221;

Karri Hosford, owner of High Cotton Catering, said this was the first holiday season their shop would be open.

&8220;I&8217;m looking forward to it,&8221; Hosford said. &8220;I&8217;m curious to see how it goes.&8221;

Hosford said she thought downtown shops each had something special to offer, whether it was cookware or Christmas ornaments.

Ginger Mims at Robert Mims and Son Jewelry said shopping downtown provide a family atmosphere and personal service. Mims said because she sees local people in her store every day and people write gift ideas in a &8220;wish book,&8221; she can often tell a customer what his or her loved one would want.

&8220;It&8217;s like shopping with family,&8221; she said.

Along with personalized attention, downtown businesses bank locally, hire locals and pay local taxes, she said.

Owner Robert Mims said he thought downtown was the real heart of Natchez.

&8220;You find a lot of little shops downtown people don&8217;t expect to find,&8221; Mims said. &8220;And most people in the shops were raised in the business, so they know the business.&8221;