Black Friday starts 'early'
This year, shoppers will be up even earlier for Black Friday -- meaning midnight. Taking the lead from Macy's, big retailers such as Target, Mall of America, Best Buy and Kohl's have jumped on the bandwagon, opening their stores at midnight Thursday nationwide. Joining them will be 1,000 Gap, Old Navy and Banana Republic stores, although Bloomingdale's, Saks Off Fifth, Nordstrom and JC Penney are expected to stick to normal hours. In other Black Friday news, "Project Runway" alum Christopher Straub's clothing, accessories and fragrance line for Maurices will launch that day at 720 stores nationwide and www.maurices.com.
Keep it local
For those who prefer to shop local the day after Thanksgiving, more stores than ever have joined in on the trend. Resale shop b. is offering 20 percent off everything. (10 a.m.-7 p.m. Fri., 5456 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls.) At Shuga Records, expect live music from Communist Daughter, limited Record Store Day releases and markdowns of 10 to 50 percent. (9 a.m.-7 p.m. Fri., 165 13th Av. NE., Mpls.) Covered is offering discounts of 20 to 30 percent off. (10 a.m.-9 p.m. Fri., 1201 Lagoon Av., Mpls.) And men's vintage seller Greenwich Vintage and Steady Print Co. are teaming up for a gentlemanly day of shopping (2 p.m. Fri., 2201 NE. 2nd St., Mpls.)
