It would be hard to have a bad day in Heidi Asimomitis’ line of work. Being surrounded by Christmas cheer 24/7, people having birthdays, christenings, weddings; it’s really hard not to get wrapped up in it all (pun intended). She works as hard as the little elves in Santa’s workshop busying herself in the days before Christmas to make sure we can all sit back with our eggnog and enjoy the festive season.
“It’s a lot of fun,” laughs Heidi, “and it’s probably the reason why I am still here and haven’t gone crazy. You always see happy people with people coming in for their parties and Christmas is a really joyful occasion.”
The idea to open a business solely dedicated to yuletide cheer began after a 1999 visit to Greece. Whilst there, her husband noticed that there were virtually Christmas stores on every street corner. As an appreciator and spreader of Christmas cheer, her husband decided to do the same in Adelaide. Open a store that would allow the everyday South Aussie remember Christmas all year round.
The store Starlight Christmas and Party Lights opened in 1999, and features some of the grandest and over-the-top Christmas decorations. But being in a seasonal industry isn’t always easy and Heidi has had to expand her line to cater for all parties and events. It truly is a one-stop-shop for all things festive and joyous. The store features so many party articles in various themes and colours. Big birthdays like 21st’s and 50th’s are catered for and if they don’t have it, Heidi makes it her mission to find it. Inside the superstore, it’s hard not to get lost as you pick and choose what you will have for your next event with childlike abandon.
“It was difficult in the beginning because Christmas is seasonal so during the year there wasn’t much work,” explains Heidi. “Now we’ve gone into party goods and we are an all year shop with Christmas lights and fairy lights, we do helium balloons and everything for parties.”
And now, her busiest time of year, Heidi is looking forward to being inundated with requests for decorations of all sorts. So much so, that she doesn’t have time to decorate her own house in time for December 25. And being such a specific business, the store attracts its fair share of loyal customers who have been coming since the shop’s inception.
“I get people that come in ask for shares because they spend so much money at Christmas time,” says Heidi. “We have customers who come back religiously every year so we always have to continuously have new things.” This commitment is evident in the fact that Heidi imports products from around the world to ensure everyone has a merry Christmas. She even sources products from Greece, where she fell in love with the little Christmas stores over ten years ago.
Whether or not she visits the North Pole for a product or two is her little secret. The trend is moving more and more to decorating the outside of your house with lights and figures. Being in South Australia, she caters for the wonderful houses in Lobethal that light up every single year giving the children a delightful way to spend a warm December night with a short drive out of Adelaide.
“Everybody has to have a Christmas tree,” says Heidi emphatically. And it’s that mentally and that way of thinking about the festive season that ensures this superstore will keep on spreading Christmas cheer for many years to come. If Santa ever wanted a little helper in South Australia, Heidi would definitely get the job.
Starlight Christmas Superstore, 202 Henley Beach Road, Torrensville SA. Phone: (08) 8354 0545