Retailers say they're bullish about this year's holiday shopping season, despite lingering fears some consumers might still have over the nation's economic struggles.

"We aren't pessimistic about the economy. We think sales for us will be double what they were last year," says Nathan Eberle, co-owner of aNeMonE, a handcrafted paper flower shop at River Park Square.

Many business owners here have been preparing for the holiday shopping rush for months now, including Swank Boutique, whose co-owner, Jody Jones, says the women's apparel and accessory shop placed orders for holiday inventory back in April.

Jones, who owns the boutique with business partner DeLori Furulie, says that since the two moved their shop from its former location on East Hawthorne to the Northtown Square shopping center on North Division last spring, year-to-date sales have doubled.

"I am very optimistic about the shopping season," she says. "This is our first season at this location, so it will be interesting to see how everything sells."

Jones predicts one of Swank's most popular lines for holiday gifts will be jewelry, and says the shop boasts a large collection of rings, necklaces, bracelets, hair accessories, and watches. She says she also expects designer jeans will be a big hit with parents shopping for their daughters.

Murray Huppin, president of Huppin's Hi-Fi Photo & Video downtown, also feels confident going into the holiday season. He says one of the longtime retailer's main focuses this season will be the opening of its second retail location, at 8016 N. Division later this month.

"Tying in with the new store's grand opening, we will be very promotional at both stores through the end of the year and into the Super Bowl season," he says.

Huppin says the company has hired 15 employees for its new location who have been in training for more than a month. All of those employees will work at the new store full time and will have the opportunity to work extra hours over the holiday season to meet the increased demand from shoppers, he says.

Huppin expects TVs to be one of the most sought-after gifts this year, and adds that one of the business's strongest categories is headphones.

"The average person has two to five pairs of headphones for different devices," he says. "We inventory over 250 models, and they are an ideal gift because you can get them at almost any price point."

Out-of-town visitors planning to do some holiday gift buying in Spokane are anticipated to bring in extra dollars to local retailers, says Dana Haynes, spokeswoman for the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"Spokane is the regional shopping hub between Seattle and Minneapolis. We attract buyers from everywhere, and we pride ourselves on having upscale, available shopping not only downtown, but in Spokane Valley and all over town," Haynes says.

She says hotels here, such as The Davenport Hotel and the Red Lion Hotel, most likely will offer discounted rates and shop-and-stay packages closer to the peak of the holiday season, to entice people from out of town to do their shopping here.

She says Spokane tends to see a large number of shoppers from Canada, who come south to shop at stores that aren't available there.

Last year, visitors to Spokane County brought in about $95.5 million in retail sales, which was down about $4 million from 2008, Haynes says.

Recent predictions from Colliers International, of Seattle, say that holiday retail sales in Canada are expected to rise 9.4 percent from last year, with a projected 5 percent increase in the country's retail sales for all of 2010.

In the U.S., the National Retail Federation is predicting a 2.3 percent increase in holiday spending nationwide over last year's holiday season, and merchants here think Spokane will see that jump as well, says Stephen Pohl, general manager of River Park Square.

"We have 55 merchants at River Park Square, and they are constantly optimistic that we can mirror the projected national trends," Pohl says. "It could be the largest jump in sales in the last three years."

Holiday shopping sales last year were almost flat, up just 0.4 percent from the year before, and in 2008, sales fell about 4 percent from the previous season, says the National Retail Federation. If retail holiday sales are to meet the projected 2.3 percent increase, they would total around $447 billion, the federation says.

Pohl says that many retailers at River Park Square saw an increase in sales in September, which can tend to be a flat month as buyers start saving for holiday spending.

He says that in recent years he has noticed an increase in Black Friday foot traffic, the day after Thanksgiving—when many stores offer extreme discounts to kick off the shopping season—but the amount that post-Turkey Day shoppers are spending has been decreasing in recent years.

"A number of retailers are downplaying its importance and are looking to smooth out spending patterns throughout the holidays," Pohl says of Black Friday. "As a result, I think we will see a more promotional climate over the entire shopping season."

He adds that shoppers should plan to shop early for the best selection, since many merchants are still trying to gauge what their holiday inventory should be this year, after having to apply deep discounts in recent years to get rid of their holiday inventory at the end of and after the shopping season.

"They are trying to predict what is going to sell well and aren't sure if they are buying too much or not enough," says Elizabeth Mills, marketing director for River Park Square. "Obviously, they want to have the inventory, but they don't want to overbuy."

Seattle-based retailer Nordstrom Inc., which anchors the west end of River Park Square with its only full-service department store in Eastern Washington, isn't making predictions about the upcoming shopping season, says Nordstrom spokesman Colin Johnson.

"We are just focusing on things within our control and doing the best to take care of each customer," he says. "We can't really project or expect anything yet."

Johnson says that one change shoppers here will notice is the move of Nordstrom's discount outlet, Nordstrom Rack, from NorthTown Mall to the Spokane Valley Plaza, just west of the Spokane Valley Mall. That store will open later this month in time for the holiday shopping season, he says.

"We are sorry to disappoint NorthTown customers, but we feel that we will be able to serve more customers in the greater Spokane area and will have an expanded offering there," he says.

Another River Park Square tenant that's already been preparing for a busy shopping season is aNeMonE.

"We definitely anticipate a really busy season," says Eberle, who owns the shop with his wife, Mary. "Last year's Christmas made up a big percentage of our annual sales."

Eberle says he and his wife soon will be opening a second location, in the SoDo shopping area on West Second, and hope to have it open before Black Friday.

He says aNeMonE will hire four or five more employees for the holiday season, and adds that some customers already have been in the store asking for holiday flowers and arrangements.

"I think some people have started shopping already," Eberle says. "I think people are trying to budget more, so they are probably spreading it out over the next few months."

Production for the store's Christmas-themed products, which includes handmade paper poinsettias, mistletoe, wreaths, and other holiday decor, has been under way for several weeks now, he says.