Cooler Weather Heats Up Retail Spending in New Jersey.

Byline: Lauren Coleman-Lochner

Dec. 11--It's beginning to look a little like Christmas.

Some retailers peddling winter staples welcomed the past weekend's cool temperatures as shoppers finally began buying the sweaters and coats they disdained during recent 70-degree weather.

"Cashmere sweaters, specialty foods, luxury gifts, and decorative items to make the home cozy are among the items that are selling well," said Brenda Hass, marketing director at Riverside Square in Hackensack. "With the onset of more seasonal weather, we anticipate seeing more shoppers."

More shoppers are buying online, but Internet merchants have scaled back their expectations this year, too.

Still, retailers aren't betting that a return to seasonal weather will produce anything more than a tepid Christmas.

"The outerwear has been really suffering because of the weather," said Melanie Willoughby, president of the New Jersey Retail Merchants Association in Trenton. "One weekend does not make it up, but people are starting to buy."

The New Jersey association, …