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The draw of Santa: Malls take a variety of tacks

One venue seeks variety; another goes Santa-free

By Andrew Moore / The Bulletin

Published: December 23. 2007 4:00AM PST

Driving foot traffic is the primary reason Santa Claus is usually found at the mall, but the annual rite of Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning at the Bend River Promenade.

William Walther has served as the mall’s Santa for 19 years. Some children who once sat on his lap and shared their wishes now bring their own children to visit, said the mall’s on-site operations manager, Rita Bowne.

Bowne said she doesn’t track how much mall traffic Santa draws, but she knows it’s “a huge amount.” But with Walther, she said, it’s almost beside the point.

“He’s become such a community icon here,” Bowne said. “The phone calls start before Thanksgiving from people in the area wondering if he’ll be here.”

Bend River Promenade and The Old Mill District, formerly The Shops at The Old Mill District, have taken different tacks when it comes to hosting Santa. The Old Mill District didn’t hire a Santa this year. Instead, it enlisted 35 community and business leaders to volunteer as “celebrity Santas.”

Participants include Chuck Arnold, executive director of the Bend Downtowners Association; Neil Bryant, a Bend attorney; and Don Horton, executive director of the Bend Metro Park and Recreation District, to name a few.

Each celebrity Santa sits for a two-hour shift and the format has been a hit for the mall, said Noelle Fredland, marketing director for The Old Mill District.

“We wanted to have a lot more Santas than we had in the past, but we wanted it to be fun for adults and kids. That was the premise, and it’s been really, really fun,” Fredland said.

A third mall, Cascade Village Shopping Center, didn’t hire a Santa this year because it wanted to focus on shopping, said Heather Koch, the mall’s assistant manager.

“This year, our thoughts are geared toward simple shopping,” she said.

Koch believes mall Santas draw customers, provide holiday ambience and serve as a convenience for customers.

But because the mall is exposed to the elements, finding a place for Santa to set up shop is a big obstacle, she said.

“Because shopping centers are geared toward the outdoors now, it’s not necessarily a priority for us,” Koch said. “You could still do it outside, but who wants to be outside when it’s cold?”

Having a Santa definitely drives traffic, Fredland said. Also an outdoor mall, The Old Mill District hosts Santa in a dedicated storefront. It’s called Santaland, and it has been extremely busy, she said.

A photographer, John Dotson, snaps keepsakes of the children brave enough to sit with Santa and makes them available for purchase. Dotson keeps all the proceeds, Fredland said.

Malls usually have plenty of options when it comes to hiring Santas.

They can rent them through any number of Santa-for-hire companies found online. One outfit is Santaforhire.com, a Southern California company that advertises “naturally bearded Santas” on its Web site.

The company has roughly 800 Santas on its roster, all of whom must pass a background check. They’re mostly retirees looking to supplement their income, said Lesley Thompson, director of operations for Santaforhire.com, and she pays them roughly $25 per hour. The company makes its money by charging the entities that hire Santa a 10 percent surcharge on the Santa contracts, she said.

Her primary customers are malls, followed by public and private parties. The business has been so successful that it’s grown into a year-round operation, Thompson said.

Thompson books Santas in spring for mall appearances late in the year, contracts them for commercials and print advertisements during the summer for spots that will air before Christmas, and hires them out in the fall for holiday parties.

Thompson doesn’t have any Santas assigned to Central Oregon.

But as far as the Bend River Promenade is concerned, Walther is as real as Santa can be. A La Pine resident, Walther works during the off-season as an artist, a puppeteer and — get this — a toy maker. He’s also got a natural beard. Walther is the real deal, Bowne said.

Walther sets up at the mall the day after Thanksgiving and works eight hours every day through Christmas Eve. He has three employees who help him with photos and six printers to churn out photos for families that purchase them. Walther keeps all the proceeds from the photographs for his business and doesn’t pay any rent to the mall.

The mall sets out the decorations, but Walther provides the suit. He’s on his fourth, by the way, and he’s been through five mall managers, he said.

Walther said many of his customers are repeats, including families who bring pictures from Santa visits with Walther in the past.

Walther said his job is more than a business.

“It is so rewarding,” Walther said. “How can I have a better job than this?”

Andrew Moore can be reached at 617-7820 or amoore@bendbulletin.com.

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