Local businesses ready for weekend shopping
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In years past, Black Friday brought out droves of people to seize upon local sales and discounts ahead of holiday gift-giving.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has made business more difficult for local sellers, many businesses in the Williamsport area are pushing through and offering customers deals and gift suggestions for locals to get a jump on the holiday season.
Karen Ciccarelli, co-owner of The Clothier, explained the downtown Williamsport men's clothing store is expecting a surge of customers this weekend -- especially on small-business Saturday. That does not mean the shop will be crowded, however -- The Clothier is an expansive store stretching across three lots with ample room to social distance.
Despite the pandemic, The Clothier offers dressing rooms to customers. Ciccarelli explained the store cleans every dressing room between uses to cut down on potential spread of the virus. Additionally, the store's staff sanitizes clothes between uses.
"It's only fair to other customers," Ciccarelli said.
The Clothier also offers a holiday service to help indecisive shoppers pick out gifts for their loved ones. Somebody can come in before the person buying them a gift does and pick out clothing they would potentially wear. The Clothier's staff will then note down their size and interest, and when their relative comes in, they can shop to the gift-recipient's taste.
The Bullfrog Brewery on Fourth Street is looking forward to participating in Black Friday shopping by offering gift cards, growlers and merchandise to customers. Co-owner Alicia Koch emphasized the value of shopping local.
"Supporting local businesses keeps things in the community," Koch said.
In turn, Koch explained Bullfrog tries to support local vendors and farmers. The brewpub is open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. for Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, and is also open for Sunday brunch from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Lang's Chocolates plans on offering a 10 percent discount on all items for Black Friday, according to owner William Lang. The Pine Street business is family owned and operated, and makes all its sweets in-house, Lang said.
Lang said customers have been circling around the chocolate-covered Oreos, chocolate-covered pretzels and meltaways. However, given that many families may be separated from the holidays, Lang also allows customers to ship his chocolate nationwide, using the online discount code "Sun10" to receive a 10 percent discount on online orders.
Meanwhile, Alabaster Coffee Roaster and Tea Company plans on keeping open on Black Friday to offer coffee to customers. Manager Joe Tokay said the coffee shop was gearing up to sell its coffee beans and merchandise to an increased clientele this weekend.
Tokay recommended customers keep their business local because it benefits families in the area. He cited a quote he read on the internet:
"You're not helping a CEO get his third house, you're helping a kid get dance lessons."
Besides that, Tokay said Alabaster ensures a higher quality than far-stretched brands, and pays more attention to the process and product. Tokay said a new item for this year is its steeped coffee product, which he described as being prepared much like a tea bag. He said the product also has a longer shelf-life than regular beans, meaning that recipients of a steeped coffee gift do not have to immediately enjoy it.
Holiday gift-buyers may be tempted to pick out a puppy or kitten, or adopt an animal to give to someone they know. However, in lieu of buying a relative a gift, Lycoming County SPCA executive director Victoria Stryker advises shoppers to purchase gift certificates to adoption facilities this holiday.
"It's always better to let the recipient choose the animal unless they have very specific guidelines," Stryker said, citing stories of pet-recipients returning animals because of physical characteristics they did not like, or because they were unable to take care of them. "Also, who wants to house-break a puppy in the winter time?"
However, Stryker does recommend adoption instead of purchasing animals from a store or breeder.
"You're saving an animal's life," Stryker said. "In exchange for adopting a homeless animal, you get unconditional love, companionship and the good feeling you've done something really fantastic for that animal."
The Lamp Barn, owned by Toby Skinner, has been selling lamps in the local area for 41 years. In addition to selling Tiffany lamps to use around the house, Skinner explained the store also sells smaller lamps shaped like turtles and butterflies.
"We have a wide range of different types of lighting to see, feel or touch," Skinner said.