Avoid the crowds at the mall and shipping fees on the Internet this holiday season by shopping at local stores, which are busy preparing to entice customers with a slew of discounts and promotions. Some shops even give back to worthy causes in the community and across the world through customers’ purchases.
The North Shore Merchants Collective is kicking off the holiday season with its eighth annual Holiday Open House starting Thursday, Nov. 21, when stores will stay open “Late ’til 8,” and continuing through Sunday, Nov. 24.
“We do it as a group because it makes it easier on the consumer,” n2 shoes owner Alison Songer said of the open house. “You can get all your shopping done and go from store to store in one area.”
She said that weekend is typically very good for sales.
“It does bring a lot of traffic to our area, and all our regular customers come out and support us,” said Songer. “A lot of people go out of town for Black Friday, and this makes it easy to take advantage and get in the holiday spirit.”