Courtesy / Outlets at Kittery
Outlets at Kittery stores, including LOFT Outlet, will be ready for early-bird Black Friday shoppers at 6 a.m.
Updated: November 27, 2019
Busy weekend ahead for Maine retailers big and small
Courtesy / Visit Freeport
"Black Friday and Shop Small Saturday are both very important to the economic strength of the Freeport business community," Kelly Edwards, executive director of Visit Freeport, told Mainebiz.
Black Friday or Small Business Saturday? Both will be busy in Maine this year, made busier by the fact that Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 28.
"Thanksgiving is late this year, which means there's one less shopping weekend for people to get out to get everything they need," said Curtis Picard, president and CEO of the Augusta-based Retail Association of Maine. "Does it make any impact? Maybe, but it's like anything else in life — given limited time, we still seem to get the job done."
On the other hand, he notes with the the ability to shop anywhere online 24 hours a day, "consumers have ample of opportunity to get what they need."
Black Friday, an informal term for the day after Thanksgiving, is routinely the busiest shopping day of the year in the United States and the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season.
In Maine, Black Friday will get off to an early start at most malls, outlet stores and big-box stores.
The Outlets at Kittery, located along U.S. Coastal Route 1 near the New Hampshire border, will be open at 6 a.m., though general manager Mari T. O'Neal told Mainebiz that some retailers started their Black Friday sales early.
"They all have huge sales going on, so some will pick and choose certain times and dates to offer an extra bonus," she said.
O'Neill expects a big crowd for a Friday "Door Dash" gift-card giveaway at Carter's and Osh Kosh for the first 100 shoppers, and notes that Canadian visitors are on the increase this year with several buses outside hotels already on Wednesday morning.
And she said it's not unusual for customers to start their Black Friday at New Hampshire stores at midnight and then head to Kittery.
On Saturday, she expects a Sea Bags pop-up store, inside a former Forever 21, to be a big hit with shoppers. It's set to open Saturday morning through Christmas Eve, in a space the company hopes to lease permanently or for other pop-ups next year.
"They're a Maine-based retailer, and the customers love them," she said.
Not to be outdone, several Freeport stores are set to open at midnight on Black Friday, while Coffee By Design inside L.L. Bean's 24/7 flagship store will open at 6:30 a.m on Thanksgiving and stay open through 11 p.m. on Friday.
"Black Friday and Shop Small Saturday are both very important to the economic strength of the Freeport business community," said Kelly Edwards, executive director of Visit Freeport. "Just like other Maine communities we experience seasonal lulls, and the gap between foliage season and the time for holiday shopping is certainly one of our slower times of the year."
"All the shop owners and managers I've spoken to this week are looking forward to the busy weekend ahead and hopefully a great December, too," she added.
At the Maine Mall in South Portland, some stores are scheduled to open at midnight on Friday, while others will take the night off and open at 6 a.m.
The Maine Mariners hockey team, scheduled to host the Indy Fuel on Friday Night at the Cross Insurance Arena, are also getting in on the Black Friday action, with discounts on team merchandise and some concessions. But Aquaman fans will have to wait until Saturday's Aquaman night for the opportunity to buy jerseys featuring the DC Comics superhero.
The buying local option
In Maine where buying local goes way back, Small Business Saturday is also a big deal. A newer U.S. tradition that started in 2010, it's the buy-local response to Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
"Small Business Saturday," Picard said, "has been a great marketing tool to remind people that they can find unique items at local retailers. "However, we emphasize that shopping locally should not be just one day a year activity. If Mainers want vibrant downtowns and locally owned stores, they need to help support them 365 days a year."
Quincy Hentzel, president and CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, is another fan of Small Business Saturday.
"At the Portland Chamber we love to celebrate Small Business Saturday," she told Mainebiz. "We care deeply about creating a thriving and prosperous community and believe our small businesses are at the core of what makes Portland unique. This holiday season, we hope people will shop small, from the neighborhood yoga studio to the local artist to the craft brewery. Supporting these businesses helps promote a more vibrant community for us all."
Courtesy/Fork Food Lab
In preparation for Saturday's member market, Tony DiPhillipo of The Totally Awesome Vegan Food Truck is urging shoppers to "Shop Small" at Fork Food Lab.
At the Fork Food Lab shared commercial kitchen and business incubator in Portland's West Bayside neighborhood, there will be a member market on Small Business Saturday, with 15 businesses peddling goodies from lobster rolls to CBD-infused honey products.
"Small Business Saturday is an important market for us as we support so many small businesses here," said Jenn Stein, Fork Food Lab's general manager. "It's a really fun event to meet a lot of our members and a great venue to introduce new members who have recently joined Fork." She said they did $4,500 in sales last year on Small Business Saturday, and hopes to top that this year.
"We have a nice diverse group participating with lunch options, desserts and all kinds of take home goodies and snacks," she added.
Biddeford businesses are also ready, after a promotional visit this week led by Wendell Davis, New England regional administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration and Amy Bassett, Maine district director of the U.S. Small Business Administration.
On a walking tour of local businesses, they were joined by representatives of Maine’s Congressional delegation, SCORE, the Small Business Development Center, CEI’s Women’s Business Center, the city of Biddeford, Biddeford Saco Chamber and local banks.
“Downtown Biddeford offers a great example of a former mill town which has embraced small business as a strategy for economic development,” Bassett said in a news release, “It’s truly exciting to see the broad array of businesses in town that have found success thanks to the hard work of entrepreneurs, local officials, lenders, and SBA resource partners.”
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