MOBILE, Ala. — For almost four decades, a shop on Halls Mill Road kept the holiday spirit alive every single day of the year. Now, owner Robert Moore and longtime general manager Larry Heard are retiring, closing the doors of Christmas Town for good after 38 years in business.
Moore first opened the location in October 1976 as Floral Gardens, a nursery and florist shop built on the site of a former trailer park. His plans changed after Hurricane Frederic tore through the area in September 1979 and destroyed the greenhouses. Rather than rebuild the outdoor operation, Moore shifted focus to the indoor retail side of the business, selling gift items under a new name, Robert Moore and Co.
Just a month after the storm, Larry Heard walked in and asked for a job, telling Moore he could sell ice to Eskimos. Moore decided to take a chance on him, and the two ended up working side by side for the next 35 years, building what Moore has jokingly called a partnership forged by two hurricanes that year.
The turning point toward becoming a full-time Christmas destination came after the pair decorated the store for a couple of holiday seasons and decided to simply leave the decorations up year-round. From there, the concept grew steadily, eventually filling the shop with model trains running through miniature villages, nonstop holiday music, and ornaments available for purchase any month of the year. Billboards along Interstate 10 and Interstate 65 helped draw shoppers from well outside Mobile who wanted to see the shop for themselves, and the store became known for rare finds, including one-of-a-kind porcelain collectibles from noted makers.
Moore said health concerns and his age ultimately factored into the decision to close rather than push toward a 40-year milestone. The shop closed briefly last week so staff could prepare for a clearance sale, with signage and pricing handled by an outside firm that specializes in retail closeout events. The sale is expected to run for as long as merchandise remains on the shelves, with discounts ranging from 10 to 75 percent off and prize incentives, including a vacation trip, a gift certificate, and electronics, offered to top spenders.
News of the closure spread quickly once word got out, with longtime customers sharing memories on the store’s social media page, from annual Thanksgiving trips to pick out ornaments to visits from family who return to Mobile from overseas each summer specifically to stop by the shop. For Moore, the outpouring reflects what the store came to mean to generations of local families who built it into their own holiday traditions.
Though bittersweet, Moore said he and Heard feel at peace with the decision, closing a business that became a fixture of the Mobile holiday season for nearly four decades.