SUTTONS BAY -- Shoppers didn't jostle for position hours before daybreak. There weren't any "doorbuster" specials. Nary an oversized flat panel TV was on display.
And it's just the way a small group of shoppers in downtown Suttons Bay wanted to spend a Friday morning.
Miles from the crowds, traffic and commotion typically associated with "Black Friday," a different breed of consumer strolled the streets of Leelanau County's largest village on the busiest shopping day of the year.
Even the thought of big box noise and bustle made Rebecca Szczepanski shudder.
"I don't go anywhere near the mall," Szczepanski said as she leisurely browsed in Bahle's, a village clothier that's seen more than 130 holiday shopping seasons come and go.
A typical Black Friday for Szczepanski and her Traverse City family: take the kids to a popular spot, like the Sleeping Bear Dunes for a wintertime climb, then visit small shops in places like Glen Arbor and Suttons Bay.
"I'd rather pay full price than deal with the stress," she said. "It's just not worth it."
Marietta Hamady divides time between her Grand Rapids home and a family cottage near Interlochen. One of Michigan's major shopping hubs is right near home, but Hamady does most of her holiday gift-buying from the small shops and merchants that dot northern Michigan.
"We love going to the small stores," Hamady said, as she and her sister-in-law Nancee Holzgen checked out Bahle's merchandise. "I'm a small-store shopper, and I like supporting local businesses."
The women had a lengthy list of local stops on their "to-do" list, including Black Star Farms for some Michigan wine, gifts from Leelanau Cheese and Leelanau Coffee Roasting Co., and a trip to downtown Traverse City to visit Cherry Republic.
"I like the boutiques," Hamady said. "I don't like the malls."
Small-town merchants know that plenty of holiday shoppers still love their bargains. There's a reason their stores are still relatively quiet at mid-morning on what's generally considered the busiest shopping day of the year.
"I think we feel the impact of the rush to the 5 a.m. openings, but as the day goes on, we get our own rush," said Pat Cookman, owner of Enerdyne in Suttons Bay.
Besides, not everyone thrives on the bargain-hunting and rush-around mentality often associated with holiday shopping.
"I think the biggest advantage that small businesses have over the mall is the relaxed pace," she said. "People can concentrate a little better."
Others said there's enough shopping to support the malls and smaller stores. Carol Al-Nsour, of Troy, visiting family in Suttons Bay for Thanksgiving weekend, said she'll shop in both venues this season.
"We do (malls) once in a while, but we prefer the mom-and-pop shops," she said.
But one thing smaller merchants share with their big-box brethren this year is uncertainty over how the country's economic downturn will impact the shopping season. Retailers both large and small are anxious to see how the retail year will finish, with national retail organizations projecting the slowest growth in holiday shopping since 2002.
"Certainly it's a worry; we don't know what's going to happen," Cookman said. "I guess we'll find out Dec. 26."
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