Black Friday Boom: Lake View Preps for Longest Shopping Season

Some residents and businesses will start stringing up the Christmas lights as soon as the Halloween decorations come down, but hardcore shoppers know when their dream season begins.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has become the accepted if unofficial start time of the Christmas rush. It's a huge day for retailers but only the first of a roughly month-long extravaganza.

And thanks to Abe Lincoln, who decreed Thanksgiving a national holiday, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who signed into law that it should fall on the fourth Thursday in November, and Pope Gregory XIII, who blessed the calendar we use by papal bull, 2012 has the longest possible shopping season.

“It’s really important to a small business like ours to have those extra days."

To explain: With Nov. 1 falling on Thursday, the fourth Thursday and Thanksgiving, Nov. 22, couldn't fall any sooner. And that means there is more time – the most time any year can provide – for shoppers to shop and businesses to reap the bounty.

Between the pop-up shops and holiday sales, Lake View businesses say they’re ready for the shopping rush.

Katherine McHenry’s business, Building Blocks Toy Store on Lincoln Avenue, is still recovering from a devastating summer flood. She says news of an extra-long shopping season is no surprise to her, and her store could use the help.

“I’m so grateful about (the longer shopping season),” McHenry said. “It’s really important to a small business like ours to have those extra days. As the owner of a toy store, I know exactly when all the holidays are, so yeah, I knew we were getting a few more this year.”

And more stores are popping up for the holiday season all over the neighborhood. While Kooky Kids Company, traditionally a pop-up store, planted its roots on Southport Avenue for good, two stores in East Lake View are taking advantage of the longer shopping season.

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Chitown Clothing opened a short-term retail shop at 3435 N. Broadway, and Two Sided at the corner of Clark and Wellington streets expanded into a vacant space next door. Two Sided’s manager Adie Hannan says she didn’t know the shopping season would be extra long this year, but says, “it’s interesting.”

“Two sided has been open for nine years, and usually we have to pack away some merchandise to make room for the holiday items,” Hannan said. “The expanded store opened official on November 1, and it will be open for a few months. Hopefully sales will be as wonderful as last year.”

What’s your favorite small business in Lake View to find the perfect holiday gift? Tell us in the comments!

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