Merced shops ready for Black Friday

Local business owners in Merced are preparing for a busy shopping weekend as they compete for dollars with the big-box stores on Thanksgiving evening, Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

Shop owners said they are planning “door-buster” deals and sales throughout the day to try to attract gift-buyers who will be out on what is one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

While the sale of big-ticket electronics like the Apple iPad mini, Xbox One and 50-inch TVs are mostly monopolized by big-box stores, local business owners said they’re still able to get in on the shopping frenzy.

Christina’s Fine Clothing will open its doors at 6 a.m. on Black Friday, though shoppers will have to wait for the social media blast on Thanksgiving night to see exactly how big the storewide savings will be.

“A lot of people go to big-box stores, but a lot of the boutiques carry the same brands,” said the store’s owner, Christina Macha. “We really do nowadays. Sometimes we have bigger discounts than they can offer.”

Like many of the local businesses, she uses Facebook, Instagram and email to promote the sales and drum up excitement about her offers, which are aimed at women. She said jewelry and accessories made by Brighton are always popular items at her store.

The holiday shopping season continues to grow, she said, as she gets involved in Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and other daily sales. She said the shop and its employees prepare for three weeks for the rush of customers.

Also hoping for a big day of sales is Ashley Leffard, whose store, The Armory, sells men’s apparel. She said nobody camps out in front of the store, but she expects that a few will be waiting when she throws open the doors at 8 a.m. on Black Friday.

She plans a number of discounts, including 30 percent off of accessories and 50 percent off of items already on clearance. She said she’ll probably do four times the business of any other day in the year.

The shop owner said she spends her money locally, so anyone who patronizes the store is keeping their dollars in Merced. Despite the throngs of shoppers who will come in looking for button-ups, denim and ties, the day is a relaxing one.

“When there’s customers coming in, it’s not a stressful day,” she said. “It’s a good day.”

The National Retail Federation is predicting that national sales in November and December this year will hit $616.9 billion, about 4.1 percent more than last year. If the estimate holds, it would be the first time since 2011 that holiday season sales increased more than 4 percent from the previous year.

The happier holiday shopping season – November-December sales provide about 19 percent of the retail industry’s annual sales of $3.2 million – is anticipated because of an improving economy.

Kelli Barkman, the owner of Kelli in downtown Merced, said her biggest discounts of 50 percent will be in effect when the store opens at 9 a.m. on Black Friday. The discounts will shrink later in the day, she said.

She said Black Friday is a big day, but the whole month of shopping in December is a boon to her store, which sells women’s and children’s clothes and accessories. The store participates in Small Business Saturday, she said, but does much better on Black Friday.

The shop owners in downtown Merced also work together, she said, because they can benefit from each other. “When we all do stuff together, it brings people downtown,” she said.

The day will also draw a mix of both gift-seekers and those shopping for themselves.

Another downtown boutique that sells women’s clothes is Helen & Louise, whose owner, Jackie Goodwin, said she expects at least five times as much business on Black Friday than any other day in the year. She’ll mark the entire store down by 20 percent to 75 percent before the doors open at 8 a.m. on Black Friday.

Like many of the other stores, the shop gets customers from out of town but relies heavily on local shoppers. So to ramp up sales on popular items, Goodwin offers the discounts on Black Friday.

“It’s a big day,” she said. “There’s no doubt.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published November 25, 2014 at 8:25 PM with the headline "Merced shops ready for Black Friday."