Sleigh bells ring year-round at decades-old holiday shop

The weather outside may be frightful, but inside one downtown store, customers can get a feel for the winter season any time of year.

Ralph Jones Display, 2576 E. Charleston Blvd., offers Christmas and other holiday decorations year-round, creating displays for hotels and residences throughout the valley . The store opened only for displays in 1965, but it didn't take on the Ralph Jones name or open to the public until the 1970s.

Co-owner Ginda Jones said though the store was originally intended to provide only commercial services, she and her husband met the public demand.

"The public wanted to come in, and we let them in," Jones said. "You build a ballpark and you play ball. That's what happened."

Since then, the Joneses have sold Christmas items such as artificial trees up to 22 feet, wreaths, ornaments, bows and figurines, which all can be viewed in the large showroom. Additionally, they sell items for holidays such as Halloween, Valentine's Day and Independence Day during the year.

Commercial services, however, are still a focus. Ralph Jones Display employees put together large Christmas displays for hotels on the Strip and Boyd Gaming properties, such as The Orleans and Sam's Town.

"We've done almost all of the hotels on the Strip," co-owner Ralph "Hoot" Jones said. "We used to do the Dunes, the Stardust, the Sands, the Aladdin. We did all of the Howard Hughes properties."

Ginda Jones said employees start planning for Christmas displays with hotels as early as May. In more than 40 years of business, she said one aspect that has changed with the business of working with hotels is the setup time, as more desire to show off Christmas displays before Thanksgiving rather than after.

Keeping up with the latest trends for the holiday is something Ginda Jones said she takes into account. She starts making orders for the next Christmas in January, though keeping in mind that most customers don't start coming into the store for winter decorations until October.

The residential aspect of the business, she said, is part of what makes Ralph Jones Display unique as compared to similar stores.

"I think people are surprised by the variety of Christmas we show," Ginda Jones said. "With our business, we thought we'd have to close because of the Internet and everyone ordering online. Now, people are going back to looking. We found that people really want to come in and touch (the product)."

Ginda Jones said customers often come in with a color or idea about how they'd like to decorate, which often yields a home visit and a chance to create a "dream Christmas," she said.

Decorations, Ralph Jones said, are just part of the business. The store offers custom cabinet services and fixture displays for businesses. When the Jones family took over the business, the fixture side was already established, and the family has continued running that part of the store since.

Still, Ginda Jones is aware that the store is most known for its year-round Christmas merchandise, especially for the various artificial trees.

"Buying artificial (trees) can allow you to decorate early," Ginda Jones said. "When families come in and buy in October, they can start to relax between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think people try to do too much (with decorating) now, and they're exhausted. The simpler you do it, the better, and we help with that."

For more information on Ralph Jones Display, call 382-4398 or visit ralphjones.com.

Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Lisa Carter at lcarter@viewnews.com or 383-4686.