Maybe it\u2019s 50 percent discounted electronics that inspire midnight shoppers on Black Friday, but for fans of sleeping in who still want a deal this weekend, local businesses have a few things planned with a charitable twist.<\/p>\n
Several downtown shopkeepers will still open their doors Friday morning to showcase holiday sales (see full list below), but it\u2019s Saturday when owners hope Juneauites opt to do the majority of their holiday shopping.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople feel pressured to shop this time of year,\u201d Downtown Business Association president Jill Ramiel said. \u201cIt would be great if people came downtown and bought everything they needed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Ramiel said finding everything downtown isn\u2019t always an option, supporting downtown businesses this holiday season is the way to ensure the area grows, attracting more shops along the way. For now, stores that are available offer customers engaged service not often experienced at larger box stores, Ramiel said.<\/p>\n
Shopping local also means giving back to the community.<\/p>\n
Shoefly and Annie Kaill\u2019s are teaming up for a pilot charity effort. After Small Business Saturday, the two store owners will set aside 10 percent of their earnings for a charity of the community\u2019s choosing.<\/p>\n
Shoefly owner Sydney Mitchell said customers will have the opportunity through social media and email to suggest a cause for the donation. Starting Dec. 7 customers can vote for one of the suggested causes and a local charity will get two checks Dec. 11.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel passionately about small businesses and downtown because I think that our downtown cluster … they just make the quality of life in our community 20 times better,\u201d Mitchell said. \u201cI racked my brain trying to find out, \u2018How can do we do Small Business Saturday in a way that\u2019s meaningful and underscores the role that small businesses play in a small community?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell said this year more than ever nonprofits have gone store to store in search of sponsorships or donations for various causes. This weekend\u2019s charity is just one example of \u201cneighbors helping neighbors,\u201d small businesses working to support the quality of life for Juneauites, Mitchell said. <\/p>\n
If good deeds aren\u2019t enough to make customers stay downtown for the holidays, Ramiel said they should think of all the good eateries where they can recharge after hauling shopping bags around. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou could make a day of it,\u201d Ramiel said. \u201cMost of downtown is under an awning ordinance to make it easier for pedestrians, even if it\u2019s raining.\u201d<\/p>\n
Free parking at downtown garages is another convenience for visitors. Ramiel said people often avoid downtown because of a misconception that parking is difficult. Parking in downtown garages will be free from today through Sunday.<\/p>\n
In the end, the greatest reason to shop local this holiday season is to strengthen the community, Ramiel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the community supports these small businesses, that\u2019s when we\u2019re able to turn around and do more in the community,\u201d she said. \u201cWe need to be able to turn a profit before we are able to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Friday happenings<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 Alaska Shirt Co. \u2013 Families can explore Juneau Holiday Village with trains, I Spy activities and music.<\/p>\n \u2022 Fairweather Gallery \u2013 Items storewide will be discounted up to 50 percent off.<\/p>\n \u2022 Hearthside Books \u2013 While supplies last, free Book Lovers calendars will be given away with any purchase of $10 or more.<\/p>\n \u2022 Red Dog Saloon \u2013 A pitcher of beer gets customers an order of chicken wings for $4. The Great Alaska Bluegrass Band will perform at 10 p.m.<\/p>\n \u2022 Seaside Yarns \u2013 The Pajama Jammy Jam kicks off at 8 a.m. with breakfast snacks, refreshments and prize drawings. Wear pajamas for an extra prize drawing. No purchase necessary for drawings. First 10 customers receive swag bags. At 8 a.m., the store will be marked down 30 percent, then discounts decrease by 5 percent each hour until noon.<\/p>\n \u2022 Shoefly Alaska \u00ad\u00ad\u2013 Shoes by Eric Michael will be marked down.<\/p>\n \u2022 Silverbow Inn \u2013 Special $99 rates start up for Friday and Saturday nights through Dec. 31.<\/p>\n \u2022 TROVE \u2013 Winter wear will be discounted 50 percent.<\/p>\n Saturday happenings<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 Hearthside Books \u2013 Buying local gets you free gift wrapping. A coupon jar will be on site for random drawings with additional savings on purchases. <\/p>\n \u2022 Juneau Artists Gallery \u2013 Local art for sale.<\/p>\n \u2022 Kindred Prost \u2013 The Magic Mailbox filled with small boxes and different sized letters will be on display. Customers can reach in and pick one, open it and receive a special discount.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Maybe it\u2019s 50 percent discounted electronics that inspire midnight shoppers on Black Friday, but for fans of sleeping in who still want a deal this weekend, local businesses have a few things planned with a charitable twist. Several downtown shopkeepers will still open their doors Friday morning to showcase holiday sales (see full list below), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":2074,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","wds_primary_category":4,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[75],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-2073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-local-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2073"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2073\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2074"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2073"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=2073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}