Shakopee Small Businesses Prep for Black Friday and Beyond

While they might not be opening at midnight to kick-off Black Friday, many smaller Shakopee businesses are planning to rev up their holiday sales beyond this weekend.

“We play the game (on Friday) like everybody else because that’s the official kickoff to holiday shopping,” said Jim Fink, manager at Arrow Ace Hardware. The store, which is open for all but three days of the year, will open an hour early Friday—at 7 a.m.

“We don’t go nuts,” he said. “You might as well just let them (customers) shop ‘til they drop at the bigger stores and we’ll pick them up later.”

Ace generally does three to four times the business on Black Friday than it manages on an average day, Fink said, so employees prepare all week for the customer influx. Ace customers will particularly find sales on larger-ticket gift items, from barbeque grills to snow throwers.

“It’s always a good day,” Fink said.

At  downtown, it’s not so much about Black Friday as it is about the entire week. Owner Billy Wermerskirchen sent a mailing to 5,000 of his customers, giving them 25 percent off items in the men’s clothing store through Sunday. He told Patch he would extend the sale to anyone coming into his store this week.

“We just make sure the discount is good enough for people to stop by,” he said.

At high-end clothing and accessories consignment shop , discounts are also the name of the game, according to Angie Brewer, the store’s office manager. The store is offering 30 percent off everything in the store starting Friday, and if people text the word "holiday" to 51080, they will receive an additional 10 percent discount.

The store will also open at 7 a.m. Friday instead of its usual 10 a.m. This is the shop’s second year in business. Last year it offered 20 percent off from Black Friday through the weekend. This year, the discounts will be offered through Christmas Eve.

“We’ve had more time to get ready,” Brewer said. “The store is full.”

The , known for having the largest collection of silver and turquoise jewelry in the five-state region, is also gearing up for the holiday sales season—its best time of year for sales, according to co-owner Mary Jane Estenson. The store is offering customers 10 percent off everything from Friday through Sunday. Estenson said the discount is significant because it doesn't mark up items to begin with as, she said, some larger stores do.

“We don’t buy in mass quantities,” she said. “Everything is one of a kind and handmade. Our customers appreciate that.”

Tonia Richter, owner of Karizma downtown, said although business was slow last year on Black Friday, they are hoping Small Business Saturday will help bring in more customers.

"We still have to participate," she said. 

On Friday, if customers buy one item of clothing, jewelry, shoes, ect. they can purchase a second item at 25 percent off. On Saturday, they will hold a drawing for a $50 gift certificate.

At , it’s mostly business as usual this week, although it won some free advertising from Facebook and American Express for Small Business Saturday, on Nov. 26, according to a post on the store's Facebook page.

“We don’t anticipate people lining up at the door,” owner Paul Ruthenbeck said. “But we’ll run sales.”