Williams shops prepare for Route 66 centennial, holiday season

WILLIAMS, AZ (AZFamily) — The countdown is on for the holidays and for the centennial of Route 66. Those two really go together right now in Williams, the last 66 town to be bypassed by I-40.

Shops in downtown Williams were full of travelers and tourists, even on a Monday.

Laura Kelley has lived in Williams for 24 years and has worked at Colors of the West gift shop for 22 of them.

“It was actually one little room over that way and over the years they’ve bought more buildings, expanded,” Kelley said. “[Guests] still love the memorabilia of Route 66 and hopefully they get a taste of it in our store.”

She’s in charge of their t-shirts, which is a big deal at the shop.

“This is, as you can see, Arizona’s largest collection of souvenir t-shirts,” Kelley said.

The store sits right in the heart of downtown Williams and is on Route 66. Linda Lopez has also lived in Williams for two decades and works at the store. She said during the holidays, the town really comes to life.

“It’s kind of like a hallmark movie,” Lopez said. “I know that’s they didn’t ever say anything about Route 66 but they should.”

Lopez said the road and its tourism are the backbone of the community. It’s even more special right now with the centennial less than a year away.

“It’s going to bring a boost in tourism and foot traffic for us. We have people from France who have been here six times,” she said. “Out of the whole world, they’ve been to our store.”

Lopez adds that whether it’s for the holidays or Route 66, they’re just happy to be in visitors’ lives.

“It is fantastic because I feel like we’re a part of everybody’s vacation,” she said.

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