How San Diego Became the Unofficial Christmas Capital of America | Condé Nast Traveler
"In 1990, he opened a 1,000-square-foot-store, called City Lights Collectibles that sold holiday trinkets: brightly colored decorations, wreaths, some faux fir trees, and a few other similar items. Initially, Young only planned to have it open three days a week. “It was the only business I knew I wasn’t going to be busy all the time, and that’s what I wanted,” he says. But the normally savvy Young was mistaken. He quickly outgrew that first site, and moved to a new location where he began taking over adjacent plots until he secured City Lights Collectibles’ current, enormous footprint: a 28,000-square-foot store with a 10,0000-square-foot warehouse attached. Over the years, Young has expanded into production, too, partnering with a tree-making firm, for example, on an exclusive line of artificial firs. There are also two full-time personalizers on-staff who will customize ornaments and other collectibles on-demand."
