There’ll be plenty to do for shoppers on the Olympic Peninsula this Thanksgiving weekend as local businesses are kicking off the holiday shopping season with Black Friday and Small Business Saturday sales and community events.
Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally the start of the Christmas shopping season — is mainly the purview of big box stores, but local businesses across the country have increasingly sought to get in on the action.
In Port Angeles, Sequim and Port Townsend, all have events scheduled over the weekend meant to bring shoppers to local businesses.
Small Business Weekend in Port Angeles, with dozens of local businesses, has discounts and other incentives to customers who’ve purchased a $10 tote bag.
“The tote bag is basically like a coupon book but in a bag,” said Hayley Sharpe, owner of the shop MOSS on First Street and a member of the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce. She is one of several downtown merchants who organized the event.
“The whole purpose is to promote shopping locally and shopping small,” she said.
The bags went on sale Monday and are available at the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce’s Winter Ice Village in downtown Port Angeles. Local businesses will start offering sales Friday, Sharpe said. Over 30 businesses in Port Angeles are participating by offering special deals to customers who show their tote bags.
The same program last year sold out of all 500 totes bags ordered, Sharpe said.
All proceeds go toward funding the Winter Ice Village, she said. A full list of participating businesses is available at the chamber’s website, bit.ly/smallbizweekend or at the Downtown Port Angeles Small Business Weekend Facebook page.
The Sequim-Dungeness Valley Chamber of Commerce is again hosting Home Town Holidays on Saturday, which features an appearance from Santa Claus and culminates with a Christmas tree lighting and a tractor parade.
The chamber’s executive director Beth Pratt said the events — which also feature live music and food —are meant to draw people to the downtown area so they’ll visit local shops.
“A lot of our storefronts are advertising,” Pratt said. “There’s a lot of special events, special products being sold. All the shops will be open Saturday.”
Festivities run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Santa arrives at 2 p.m., Pratt said. The tree lighting will take place at 4:45 p.m. followed by the tractor parade.
The Port Townsend Main Street Promotion Committee is celebrating Small Business Saturday by hosting a free workshop for making Christmas swags (wreath-like decorations made from pine branches) inside a tent at Tyler Plaza from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“It’s a great time of year for people to come and enjoy our town,” said Mari Mullen, the group’s director, who said the Wild Rose Chorale will be out caroling Saturday.
“We really feel like Port Townsend has gifts covered,” Mullen said. “Our merchants hand select their merchandise.”
The group is hosting additional holiday events on weekends in December, Mullen said.
Forks will celebrate the holidays with events next weekend and throughout the month.
The National Weather Service is predicting clouds and a 50 percent chance of rain Friday and Saturday, with highs around 47 degrees.
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Reporter Peter Segall can be reached at peter.segall@peninsuladailynews.com.
