Shops will remain open until 8pm each Friday up to Christmas while the village's large range of eateries will also be open.

As a result, shoppers can make a night out of it, doing some Christmas shopping then having a meal.

Laurie Williams from the Millthorpe Business Committee said the idea of extended hours came from a member and was unanimously agreed to at a recent meeting of traders.

"It was one of those 'Hey, we could do this too' moments", he said.

"The idea has been embraced with enormous enthusiasm, so we're hoping that shoppers are just as enthusiastic as we are."

"The number of specialist shops in Millthorpe, and the range of things they sell, has greatly increased in the past couple of years," he said, "so that we now offer a wide range of gifts, home wares, clothing and lots of items that are out of the ordinary."

"In fact, because we are in competition with the larger centres, our shops go out of their way to find stylish and quirky products, new and old, so as to give them a point of difference."

One point of difference that can't be denied is that you won't have to walk far to do your shopping.

Millthorpe is still very much a village with a compact shopping precinct of owner-operated specialty shops and boutiques.

"When you shop here," Mr Williams said, "it's almost certain you'll be served by the business owner, and we define a parking problem as not being able to park outside the shop you're going to."