Burr Ridge offering Black Friday experience — but tailored to COVID-19 precautions
By JESSE WRIGHT | PIONEER PRESS for THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE
NOV 23, 2020 AT 11:52 AM
For many folks, Thanksgiving will be scaled back, socially-distanced or maybe even remote.
Black Friday, the traditional day of sales and Christmas shopping will also be adjusted to fit COVID-19 guidelines but, at least in Burr Ridge, it will happen.
The Village Center announced last week that various stores will have sales and events starting the Friday after Thanksgiving and going through December.
Starting on Friday, a handful of new stores will open. Keg and Meg, State of Play Kids, Line and Cleat and Marlo and Olive all won a temporary, rent-free lease at the shopping center as part of a Pop Local Program and they will open their doors Nov. 27.
The stores offer a selection of locally made jewelry, accessories, home décor items and clothing. Besides that, the Village Center will host a Mistletoe Market Dec. 12 that will feature handmade gifts, food and other gift items from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. For the kids, live reindeer will be at the center all day.
Amanda Horan, the owner of Line and Cleat, one of the four small businesses to open within a single store, said she’s looking forward to opening—despite the pandemic.
“The customer will have a seamless experience,” she said, though she added that customers will have to be safe and Tuesdays are reserved for private shopping.
“So we’re taking all the safety precautions for COVID,” Horan said. “Masks have to be worn in the business and we have hand sanitizers and we’re only taking contactless payments. We hope people want to get out and support local businesses.”
Still, safety precautions aren’t enough for every would-be shopper.
“I’m not going to do Black Friday shopping,” said Heidi Swanson, who was shopping over the weekend at the Village Center. “I don’t want to be in a cramped space with people and I’ve bought a lot already.”
Meanwhile, other shoppers have said they’ve seen how stores have taken COVID-19 precautions seriously and they’ve appreciated the efforts.
“They’re doing an amazing job,” Gloria Rodriguez said. “They’re trying to make everyone feel very secure.”
Either way, for Horan, Black Friday will be a big day. It’s an opportunity to display her gift candles and home accessories in Burr Ridge and, ideally, reach more customers.
Horan said she’d had a brick and mortar store in Glen Ellen. She’d opened the space in June 2019, but when COVID-19 hit, her business struggled with curbside service.
“We did curbside pickup for a long time and that was great, but it was unsustainable for the long term,” she said.
She developed Line and Cleat as a home decor line, intending it to exist as a brand in other stores, so she is excited to get her brand in front of customers at its own place. She said home décor items, which are sold by a number of the Pop Local startups, are great for Christmas shoppers.
“You can really send a little gift to everyone,” she said. “It’s a one stop shop for your shopping.”
COVID-19 aside, it’s hard for small, independent retailers anyway as technology has long been luring away shoppers from the brick and mortar stores.
This is why, Horan says, it’s important to support local shops.
“I think just that small businesses and small retailers need all the support they can get,” she said.
This isn’t enough inducement for some, however.
“I’ve been doing a lot of my shopping online anyway, and it has nothing to do with COVID,” said Jason Beckman.
Horan says not to worry.
“We also all have online businesses so should someone not feel comfortable coming out they can shop online,” she said.