PRESQUE ISLE – Lisa Anderson was, admittedly, spending her first stress-free day before Christmas Eve in a long time.

“I’m completely done my shopping,” said the South Portland resident, who was “recharging her batteries” by resting at a table in the food court in the Aroostook Centre Mall on Saturday.

“Normally, I would be shopping right up until the stores closed on Christmas Eve. I was just up here visiting some friends and I thought I’d stop in to see if anything caught my eye. … This time, I’m shopping for me.”

Henderson may have been one of the only shoppers seeking gifts for herself on Saturday, but she was certainly not the only shopper.

In fact, the hordes that flocked to the mall Saturday were indicative of how the entire year has gone for the shopping complex, according to Patti Crooks, the mall’s general manager.

“We have really had a great year,” she said late last week as she prepared for the weekend rush of holiday shoppers. “Sales are up over last year, and so is foot traffic. We’re all very excited about it.”

Crooks attributed the business boom to a favorable Canadian exchange rate, a decrease in the price of gasoline, and new stores both in and outside the mall.

“We had the Lowe’s open in October, which was wonderful,” she said, speaking of the home improvement store located next to the mall. “Naturally, it has attracted people, and I think that shoppers who are coming there also are stopping at the mall to see what we have to offer.”

Lowe’s celebrated its grand opening in October. The 147,000-square-foot store, owned by the world’s second-largest home improvement retailer, is the latest to open in Maine.

Inside the mall on Saturday afternoon, patrons carrying huge shopping bags politely squeezed past one another as they made their way from one end of the mall to the other. Santa Claus posed for pictures with children as bright Christmas lights and promises of reduced prices beckoned shoppers into several stores.

Those who found a moment to take a break from shopping stood in line in the food court or dined at one of the nearby tables.

Crooks said that restaurants in the mall had not been left out of the sales hike.

“Restaurants are seeing double-digit sales increases over last year as well,” she said. “Overall, it has been a great year. We are very upbeat about what 2007 will bring.”