[SustainableTompkins] Shop Local on Black Friday

[Wendy Skinner]

Support Local Businesses on Black Friday

A group of downtown Ithaca businesses are bringing the "shop local" message to Black Friday - one of the busiest shopping days of the year. The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday marks the point at which retail businesses hope to move from red to black on their account ledgers. This year, shoppers are being invited to support a "Local Business Crawl" to help keep money in the community. In addition, several businesses on the Crawl offer products that rely on local resources or that reuse existing materials.

"We'd like the Crawl to add a new dimension to what is often just a crazy, exhausting day of battling traffic and crowds," says Autumn Newell, an organizer of the event and soon to be a local business owner. She is developing a new clothing store called Tuff Soul that will open later this year and feature locally designed, created, and re-fashioned styles. One of the principles behind the business is a more earth-friendly approach to retail sales.

The businesses on the Crawl are offering special promotions and discounts to show appreciation for shoppers who are making a conscious choice to support local businesses. Local Business Crawl participants: 

Bookery II, 215 North Cayuga
The Cat's Pajamas, Dewitt Mall
Homegrown Boardshop, 103 The Ithaca Commons
Mama Goose, 401 West Seneca
No Radio Records, 312 East Seneca
Petrune, 115 South Cayuga
Felicia's Atomic Lounge, 508 West State
Madeline's, 215 The Ithaca Commons

For more information about the Black Friday Local Business Crawl, contact Autumn Newell, tuffsoulclothing at gmail.com 
For a PDF poster and quarter-sheet flyers promoting the Crawl, contact Wendy Skinner, ws at twcny.rr.com.