RETAILERS ACROSS THE North Olympic Peninsula reported brisk sales the weekend after Thanksgiving, traditionally a time of shopping splurges.
Some reported better sales and a new, more positive mood among shoppers than last year.
“The general attitude of customers is better than last year, and the numbers reflect that as well,” Ryan Gedlund, an owner of Swain’s General Store, 602 E. First St. in Port Angeles, said Friday.
Customers were buying sporting goods and taking advantage of deals on hardware, patio heaters, tools sets and smokers.
“It’s pretty much all been selling,” he said.
Sequim and Port Angeles customers visited Quimper Mercantile Co. at 1121 Water St. in Port Townsend, store manager Sheldon Spencer said.
He also had people from the Seattle area who were making day trips to the Victorian-themed city.
“The customer count is up quite well,” Spencer said.
“I think, for one thing, they get a little cabin fever when the weather is not that pleasant.
“Shopping is something you can do to get out of the house and out of the weather, too.”
Customers were weather-conscious, too, buying gloves, mittens, slippers and pajamas, he said.
“November is up substantially, and it looks like today will follow that trend,” he said.
“The economy is heading in the right direction.”
At Walmart, 3411 E. Kolonels Way in Port Angeles, which had advertised special items for sale at 6 a.m. Friday, customer traffic was steady, Assistant Manager Cindy Cashman said.
“It’s consistent with it being Black Friday,” she said, referring to the first day of traditional Christmas shopping, when many retailers offer specials and longer hours.
Customers were buying “a huge variety” of merchandise, from food to Black Friday specials.
“They are shopping for everything,” Cashman said.
Odyssey Bookshop at 114 W. Front St. in Port Angeles was an island of peace for shoppers who early Friday took advantage of sales at Walmart and Swain’s, said store manager April Bellerud.
“I had one person thank me for having such a calm environment,” she said.
Still, thankfully, it wasn’t that quiet.
“We’re twice as busy, at least, as a regular Friday,” Bellerud said.
Edna Petersen, owner of Necessities & Temptations gift shop, 217 N. Laurel St. in Port Angeles, was so busy Friday she barely had time to talk.
“We’re having an absolutely marvelous time,” she said.
“Everyone’s coming in to say hello, and life’s good.”
J.C. Penney, 651 W. Washington St. in Sequim, opened at 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day and stayed open all night.
Store supervisor Austin Phillips said shoppers tapered off after midnight but started returning at about 4 a.m. Friday.
Later that morning, the store’s aisles were lined with customers, she said.
Compared with last year, “it seems like a lot busier and a lot steadier,” Phillips said.
It was so hectic by midmorning Friday that a store associate who answered the phone was telling customers she had time only for yes and no questions.
The Home Depot, 1145 W. Washington St. in Sequim, was open at 5 a.m. Friday, an hour earlier than usual, and Manager Gina Hannah said 35 people were waiting to get in.
She said customer traffic was busier for the first three hours this year than Black Fridays in 2013 and 2012.
Customers were buying hardware, tools, “a mixture of everything,” Hannah said.
There were 139 employees on duty, almost three times as many as usual.
“It’s been a fantastic day, even despite all the nasty weather we’ve been having,” Hannah said.
Many merchants in Port Townsend focused on Saturday sales as part of Small Business Saturday.
Under the program, American Express card holders who spend $10 or more at a participating small business receive a $10 credit for up to three separate purchases.
Wild Rose Chorale carolers sang on the streets of Port Townsend, and many shops offered late hours and specials in a promotion sponsored by the Port Townsend Main Street program.
For every $500 spent at participating businesses starting Friday, customers can pick a $25 gift certificate from the wall of gift certificates at the Main Street office at 211 Taylor St., Suite 3.
“There are lots of people down on the streets,” said Vayda Robbins, an employee of April Fool and Penny Too at 725 Water St., on Saturday
“Yesterday was pretty good, too. The cold is definitely not deterring people.”
Judy Rich, who works at The Green Eyeshade at 720 Water St., said the weather may have kept some customers away.
But “we’ve had good sales,” Rich added.
“People are definitely coming down to shop local and use their American Express cards.”
At Hadlock Building Supply, 901 Ness’ Corner Road in Port Hadlock, the customer traffic was less than on a normal Friday, owner Bill Kraut said.
“We didn’t really do a huge promotion this year,” he said, adding that he has opened as early as 4 a.m. on Black Friday.
“We decided to let the employees sleep in.”
But that didn’t keep Kraut from reaching out to customers in a way tailored specifically to holiday shoppers.
From midnight to 7 a.m. Friday, the store had giveaway specials on its Facebook page.
Dave Gedlund, director of Forks Outfitters, 950 S. Forks Ave., said it was “quite busy” at his store.
“People are paying attention to the Black Friday sale we have,” said Gedlund, who is Ryan Gedlund’s father.
“They’re hitting the clothes and sporting goods real hard.”
While Dave Gedlund had yet to review receipts by midday Friday, “it looks like we’ll probably be up,” he said.
Gedlund said customers were in good spirits.
“If they’re crabby, we don’t let them in,” he quipped.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5060, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Rob Ollikainen contributed to this report.
