Texas Retailers' Hopes for Solid Holiday Spending Begin to Dim a Bit.

Byline: Heather Landy

Dec. 23--In a repeat of recent Christmases past, the holiday shopping season is going down to the wire, with retailers relying on last-minute gift buyers for a final burst of sales.

The economy still is in recovery mode, and parking spots at the mall have been tough to come by. But lackluster revenue reports on Monday from Wal-Mart and Target raised concern about retailers' ability to meet the optimistic expectations of industry forecasters.

Local mall executives said they are reasonably confident that their tenants will turn in solid holiday sales performances.

"The stores have been really busy for the past couple days," said Rhonda Lewellen, marketing director at the North East Mall in Hurst.

"Everybody is still conservatively optimistic."

But nationally, hopes for an all-out triumph after last year's weak showing have started to dim a bit.