Visitors to downtown Dowagiac will soon have a place to enjoy the Yuletide spirit — no matter what month it says on the calendar.

Next Wednesday, local business owner Melissa Gunn will open a new Christmas-themed decoration and gift shop, aptly named Deck the Halls, at the former tailor shop storefront, at 102 Commercial St. Gunn will celebrate the opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony, hosted by the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce at noon.

As one would expect, the store will offer a treasure trove of tree ornaments, décor and gifts for the Christmas season, Gunn said. The store will open its doors at the perfect time, as the chamber will host its annual Christmas Open House Weekend just a few days afterwards, from Nov. 10-12 downtown.

For Gunn — who also owns and operates Olympia Books, located a short distance away on Front Street, with her husband, Jeff — Deck the Halls will give the self-proclaimed “Christmas-holic” the perfect outlet to share her passion for the holidays with her neighbors.

“I just love the hustle and bustle of the season,” Gunn said. “I love everything about Christmas: the decorations, the lighting, all the traditions. It was always a huge pageant at my house. It was a huge, multiday event.”

Unlike other “pop-up” Christmas shops that opened in downtown over the last several years, Gunn said she plans keep the doors of Deck the Halls open throughout the year.

“Dowagiac is one of those small towns that makes a big deal about the holidays, with the Christmas parade, the wreaths the city puts up around downtown, the lights on the train depot,” she said. “I just feel like a Christmas store will fit right in.”

Gunn said she was inspired to start her own Christmas-themed business during a recent trip with her husband over Labor Day weekend. During their vacation, the couple visited a Christmas gift shop they have frequented over the years, where Gunn mentioned off hand that she would “love to have something like this.”

When Jeff agreed with the idea, she was taken aback, she said. However, after thinking it over for a few days, she decided to take the plunge, Gunn said.

Fortunately, finding a location for the new shop was not a challenge, as the couple already owns the Commercial Street building where the storefront is located.

“It’s a small space with a ton of character,” she said.

Over the last several weeks, the two have worked on turning the space into a business that Jolly Old Saint Nick would feel right at home inside. The walls have been painted green with red trim, and the couple built a mock fireplace near the entrance, where they will hang stockings and place their own Christmas tree nearby, Gunn said.

The entire back wall of the business will be devoted purely to different ornaments, from a variety of different companies, including Bronner’s, Gunn said. She plans to have more than 100 unique ornaments for sale, which will feature different sports teams, interests and hobbies, she said.

“If you’re into kayaking, then you will be in luck, because we will have a kayak ornament,” she said. “We have items like that, things you can’t find in every store.”

People may customize their ornaments as well. For example, a couple that recently had a newborn in their family may purchase a baby bottle ornament, which they may adorn with their child’s name, date of birth and weight, Gunn said.

The store will also sell items such as stockings, skirts for Christmas trees and other decorations, as well as small gifts that will make perfect stocking stuffers, Gunn said. For fellow Michigan lovers like herself, Gunn will also have a few Wolverine State items in stock, including Michigan-shaped mittens, “so you will always have a map on hand,” she said.

The store will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. People may learn more by visiting the business’ Facebook or Instagram pages, or by calling (269) 783-1225.