First of all, of course, it's "Merry Christmas!" I hope your day is beautiful, exciting and inspirational.

One column-related item this week was my mixing with holiday shoppers. Downtown stores and Silver Lake Mall were both busy. It was pleasing to visit the mall and see the excitement. All the shops and center-aisle kiosks were busy, which was nice to see because several weeks ago the place was practically deserted.

Changes are happening there. Two new stores are either there or coming in - but two larger stores are leaving.

Maurice's is moving north

Although mall mainstay Maurice's is leaving the mall, it's not leaving town. The store and its seven employees are moving to the large space vacated by Corral West beside Target on Canfield Avenue at the end of January.

The store offers women's clothes, shoes and accessories to "fashion-conscious customers with a 20-something attitude," according to its website. It began in 1931 in Duluth, Minn., and now has 750 outlets in 44 states and soon will be expanding to Canada. The Coeur d'Alene store originally was on Sherman Avenue (along with nearly all established department stores) and moved to the mall (where it has moved across the hall once) in the 1980s.

The new locations will be larger and allow the store to display more merchandise and have larger fitting rooms. Hours are now and will be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Check www.maurices.com. Phone 772-1815.

Hallmark-Coach House is leaving

A pun-intended hallmark since the mall opened 26 years ago, the combination Hallmark Gold Crown and Coach House Gifts store will endure/celebrate its last day Monday (tomorrow).

Both these stores, which often are combined into one space, have interesting histories to check on their websites, www.hallmark.com and www.coachhousegifts.com.

Hallmark began in Kansas City in 1910 and now has more than 40,000 (!) stores worldwide, 3,000 (well, one less now) are Gold Crown stores. If you're ever in Kansas City, visiting their "factory" can be one of your highlights. Uh, not much to do there, but the barbecue places are excellent. On a positive note, the Hallmark store in the Ironwood Mall near Albertson's has moved and expanded.

Coach House Gifts began in 1969 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and now has about 100 stores. Well, one less.

The final mall store hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday.

Skin Deep moves to SLM

Offering skin care, cosmetics and consulting, Skin Deep Couture has moved from the downtown Plaza Shops to Silver Lake Mall. The Gentlemen's Corner store is now in the Plaza Shops space.

Namebrand products, related consulting and accessories are available for women and men. Owners are Stephanie Regis, Billie Felton and Wendy Young, all Coeur d'Alene natives. Hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Phone 762-2233.

Hang on for these Tidbits!

• Another business going into SLM will be Sweet Stems, evidently a candy and floral shop. So far details haven't been available except that it will be near the inside mall entry to Penney's.

• Tobler Marina on Hayden Lake was honored as 32nd of the top 100 boat dealers, according to "Boating Industry" magazine's new issue. Its top dealer is in Woodbridge, Va., and the list includes a few dealers in Seattle and British Columbia. Check www.boatingindustry.com.

• Idaho Spud candy bars have been made in Boise since 1931.

• Next week watch for news about major changes in Gibbs Center on Northwest Boulevard. There used to be a town of Gibbs, and the building was the Gibbs Mercantile.

• Rumors not true: Lucca's Restaurant on Sherman Avenue is not closed. And Jo-Ann Fabrics is not moving to the former Border's Books space.

• Watch for a new Mexican restaurant near Fred Meyer.

• Style note: Percents are always numerals with one word such as "About 9 percent care."

Contact Nils Rosdahl at nrosdahl@cdapress.com.