Drawn out by sunshine, driven by sales, dreaming no doubt of sugar plums, shoppers dropped dollars across the North Olympic Peninsula on Friday and Saturday, commencing their holiday shopping.
Whether Black Friday or Small Business Saturday produced more trade wasn’t clear, merchants in Port Angeles, Sequim, Forks and Port Townsend said Saturday before they could compare their sales for each day.
They gave the edge to Friday but said Saturday — with its community celebrations in Port Townsend, Sequim and Port Angeles — seemed more fun.
And they agreed that this season seemed to be shaping up as stronger than last year.
At Quimper Mercantile, 1121 Water St., Port Townsend, “The whole town seems to be out,” said manager Sheldon Spencer.
Hot items included decorations and Advent calendars but choices also seemed to follow dictates of the weather.
“It seems like people like hats, gloves socks — things that aren’t so critical for sizing,” Spencer said.
“It’s interesting how many tourists come to Port Townsend and need more layers of clothes.”
Spencer said he’d counted 361 unique transactions on Friday, about double the mercantile’s usual trade.
Odyssey Bookshop owner April Bellerud said, “We’ve sold a lot of calendars and adult coloring books” at her store, 114 W. Front St., Port Angeles.
“Book-wise, Strictly No Elephants has sold a lot of copies,” she said. The children’s work is by North Olympic Peninsula author Lisa Mantchev.
At the Port Angeles Goodwill store, 603 S. Lincoln St., assistant manager Jason Bessey said Friday had been very busy.
“People said there were more shoppers here than at Walmart,” he said, “which is what we like to hear.”
As for the Walmart Superstore, 3411 E. Kolonels Way, Port Angeles, store personnel declined to comment, as did employees at The Home Deport, 1145 W. Washington St., Sequim, and J.C. Penney, 651 W. Washington St., Sequim.
All deferred questions to their corporate headquarters.
But at one independent Sequim retailer, the Dungeness Kids Co., 163 W. Washington St., owner Susan Baritelle said, “We had a great day yesterday, but I think today’s getting better toward the end.”
Customers were taking advantage of a sale, she said, “so they’re buying a little of everything — toys, clothes.”
And at Sequim’s Serenity House thrift shop, manager Belle Muñoz said there’d been “lots of traffic” both Friday and Saturday, with shoppers zeroing in on Christmas decorations and on furniture, mostly tables.
On the West End of Clallam County, Dave Gedlund, director of Forks Outfitters, 950 S. Forks Ave., said the 2015 season was looking brighter than 2014.
“Things are going better than last year,” he said. “We had a good Black Friday.”
Black Friday is the term given to the day after Thanksgiving when many retailers are said to break into the black — turning a profit — after running most of the year in the red at a loss — losing money.
Originally the day for shoppers to storm stores before dawn, it’s lost impetus to some big-box retailers’ opening on Thanksgiving Day.
Black Friday also faces competition from Cyber Monday, when online retailers wallpaper their websites with sale announcements.
But the latest shop-’til-you-drop date is Small Business Saturday, which tries to inspire customers to spend at small brick-and-mortar businesses in their own communities.
That call was heard by shoppers at Hadlock Building Supply, 901 Ness Corner Road, Port Hadlock, to which spokeswoman Vivian Shepherd said they’d flocked to buy lots of Christmas lights and decorations.
Other big sellers, she said, were what she called “Dolly Partons.”
Asked what they were, she said, “You know, the frost-free things that fit over outdoor faucets.”
Edna Petersen, owner of Necessities and Temptations, 217 N Laurel St., Port Angeles, said “I’m really impressed with husbands this year.
“We’ve had lots of gentlemen buying really, really early,” picking up sweaters, perfume and high-end kitchen items.
Although Friday saw better sales, she said, she liked the Small Business Saturday feel of the post-Thanksgiving weekend, which she prefers to the run-up to Christmas.
In a way, her store is the scene of a homecoming.
“We have our regular folks who come home to mom and dad’s for Thanksgiving. The kids who have worked for me over the years, they come in to say hello.
“Thanksgiving weekend is different from Christmas week. Everybody’s pretty family romantic.
There’s something of a rush around Christmas. Thanksgiving is more family.”
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Reporter James Casey can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jcasey@peninsuladailynews.com.
