Back-To-School Specials Abound For Shoppers In Downtown Long Beach

Shoppers will enjoy a variety of back-to-school specials in Downtown Long Beach at the more than 35 retail, specialty, entertainment and restaurants ranging from clothing and shoes to fashion accessories and electronics, among others. Now simply referred to as “The Streets,” the heart of Downtown is centered in between Third Street, Sixth Street, Pine Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard, and is the popular destination to shop for school specials leading up to the end of summer now through Monday, September 4.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), with consumer confidence rising and more young people in school, back-to-college spending is expected to hit an all-time high this year while back-to-school spending is expected to see its second-highest spending level on record. Total spending for school and college combined is projected to reach $83.6 billion, a more than 10 percent increase from last year’s $75.8 billion.

Families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average $687.72 each, for a total of $29.5 billion, an 8 percent increase from last year’s $27.3 billion.

“Families are now in a state of mind where they feel a lot more confident about the economy,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “With stronger employment levels and a continued increase in wages, consumers are spending more and we are optimistic that they will continue to do so throughout the rest of the year. As students head back to the classroom, retailers are prepared to meet their needs whether it’s for pencils and paper, shirts and pants or laptops and tablets.”

Back-to-school shoppers plan to spend $10.2 billion on clothing, purchased by 95 percent, $8.8 billion on electronics such as computers or calculators, purchased by 60 percent, $5.6 billion on shoes, purchased by 93 percent, and $4.9 billion on school supplies such as notebooks, folders, pencils, backpacks and lunchboxes, purchased by 97 percent.

Parents say they will spend an average of $238.89 on clothing, $204.33 on electronics, $130.38 on shoes and $114.12 on school supplies. While consumers plan to spend more across all categories, shoes and school supplies are seeing the highest expected increase.

The Downtown retail area has just the right variety of discount, specialty stores and small businesses featuring back-to-school shopping options with Big 5 Sporting Goods, Daniel’s Jewelers, Ross Dress For Less, Jean Machine, Payless ShoeSource, and Footaction, among others, including:

- Back-to School specials at Big 5 Sporting Goods include backpacks, footwear, apparel, camping, roller sports and accessories, plus much more.

- Students can make memories at Daniel’s Jewelers with High School Class Rings, plus a variety of other sparkling back-to-school ideas.

- It's the largest back-to-school shoe sale ever at Jean Machine with all Circa, Fallen, ES and Osiris shoes, among others.

- Back-to-School shoppers will enjoy Ross Dress For Less featuring 20 to 60 percent off department store prices every day including apparel, shoes, electronics, and much more.

“Back-to-school shoppers have a variety of options for kids in the Downtown area including apparel, shoes and school specials,” said Tony Shooshani, managing member of Shooshani Developers. “And there’s plenty of dining options in the six-block area for the family to take a break while enjoying spending time together.”

The Downtown area offers a wide array of restaurants including the new King Buffet seafood and grill that offers guests a full-service, all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet with over 120 items; Pie Bar for desserts featuring delicious handcrafted pies that are made from scratch and other scrumptious delights; Fresh Kabobs, the casual, family-style Indian restaurant; Wing Stop for fresh, hot chicken wings, famous fries and delicious sides; Sushi Zenmaru for teriyaki and rolls; Milana’s New York Pizzeria, an authentic New York pizzeria; Chuck E. Cheese’s, more than just fun and games, enjoy great food, always fresh with pizzas, salad bar, oven-baked sandwiches, buffalo wings and more; Mitaki Japanese, featuring quick and fresh Japanese cuisine; Subway for fresh, delicious, made-to-order sandwiches; and Panda Express for Asian-inspired cuisine in a fast casual environment.

Now simply referred to as “The Streets,” the heart of Downtown is centered in between Third Street, Sixth Street, Pine Avenue and Long Beach Boulevard, and features popular retailers and restaurants. For a complete list of the 35 retail stores, specialty shops, entertainment venues, and dining outlets, please visit http://www.facebook.com/thestreetsdtlb.com.