Gale Griswold Reopens Christmas Shop at Edison Mall After Closing Bell Tower Location

Gale Griswold has opened Christmas and Gifts by Gale at Edison Mall in Fort Myers. She closed her previous shop because the rent was too high. The year-round Christmas decor store now sits in a 1,370-square-foot space at 4125 Cleveland Ave., Unit 1400, positioned just inside the main entrance across from Books-A-Million.

The owner shut down temporarily when 2025 started and reopened before the holidays arrived. She ran Gale's Gifts at Bell Tower Shops from October 2023 through December 2024.

Griswold changed the name because she wanted "Christmas" in there for better online search results. 

She pays $2,500 monthly at Edison Mall. At Bell Tower last December, she paid $4,500. The previous spot used a percentage-based rent agreement that charged 20% of sales, which meant the more she sold, the higher the rent climbed.

The new space shrinks to a fraction of her previous 6,500 square feet. "I took all summer long trying to find another place," said Griswold, according to Gulf Shore Business. "I'm planning on making it a year-round place."

The shop owner has lived in Fort Myers since 1976. She spends January through September each year hand-painting ornaments and designing wreaths and trees. These three items sell best.

This year, that stretch also meant hunting for a new spot. A bakery called The Hideout occupied the space before. Griswold used about 16 gallons of paint to refresh the store. "I had 45 days to clean," she said. "It was a tight window."

She does almost all the decorating and painting herself. The shop also offers custom work. Recent projects included red ribbons to decorate a client's kitchen for the holidays.

Ornaments range from $15 to $25. Decorated trees cost $35 to $375, while decorated wreaths run from $75 to $275.

"Ornaments are always my No. 1 seller," Griswold said. "For the last week, sales are really starting to pick up."