Business is booming for store owner Peter Richold, who has been all wrapped up in the holiday festivities during the few remaining days until Christmas.

Mr. Richold is the owner of All Wrapped Up, a four-year-old gift shop located in the Washington Mall.

And although Christmas is usually the shop's busiest time of year -- followed by Valentine's Day -- Mr. Richold said he "couldn't be happier'' with this year's holiday sales.

"For the last two weeks, it feels like we're a grocery store right before Cup Match,'' he chuckled. "And on Saturday, we had a line to the door.'' "I feel sorry for some of the retailers who aren't doing so well this season, but our sales have been fantastic,'' he added.

The shop offers a variety of cards, picture frames and other such gift items, but Mr. Richold said his holiday best-seller has been scented candles.

"Scented candles set a mood in the home and the aroma's nice,'' he noted.

"People trying to ease up their day to day stress go home to relax and light a candle.'' "For offices and companies with Secret Santas, any type of scented candles are on the shopping list,'' he added.

The other top-selling item in the shop was home spa bath crystals, which were featured in RG's gift guide.

"We've had two shipments come it, and it just blew out the door,'' Mr.

Richold said.

The shop owner noted that a lot of people bought gift bags this year and filled it with lots of smaller items instead of buying one big gift.

Also wildly successful were sales of aromatherapy burners, which Mr. Richold said were "very much in demand''.

"I had to UPS an extra shipment of two styles, and we're almost out of those,'' he said.

And if you're looking for specialty items for the upcoming millennium celebration, you may have already `missed the boat'.

Mr. Richold said the shop ordered a number of millennium candle holders, hand painted pottery bowls, and candle baskets which came in last Friday -- and they've already sold out.

"I was in here 5.30 a.m. on Saturday restocking...we try to keep up restocking during the day, but sometimes you don't get the opportunity to,'' he added.

Mr. Richold said he hoped his sales trend continued, and said one of the reasons for the shop's success is that he doesn't rely on visitors -- the store tends to target local business.

But despite his success, Mr. Richold said he has no plans to expand -- despite enthusiastic requests from some shoppers.

"That's what make us different -- we're small,'' he said. "If we expanded, we'd be losing the personal one-on-one contact with our customers.'' "Besides, it's nice to see when you're doing something right and it doesn't stay on the shelves,'' he smiled.