Small Businesses Hope For Black Friday Boost

Aberdeen, SD

As retailers across KELOLAND drew in shoppers with door buster deals this Black Friday, other small businesses tried to capitalize on the shopping event too.

As they weaved in and out of crowds at the mall in Aberdeen, Cydney Wollman and Jaelyn Opp had their minds on more than just the big ticket sale items.

"Maybe like coffee at Little Dipper or like a pop or ice cream later on," Wollman said.

And they weren't alone. The coffee shop at the mall was happy to see the increase in traffic.

"I came here at 12 and didn't leave until nine. And from about 12 to three, it was just absolute chaos," employee Alexandra Mattern said.

The coffee shop where Mattern works had long lines. But, unlike the retailers with long lines, the small business didn't have huge Black Friday deals or ads.

And there are stores outside the mall hoping to benefit from holiday shopping as well.

"I put an ad out on my sign saying, 'We'll be open too. Come by here, come see us," Narina Guhin said.

Guhin owns a drive through coffee shop across town from the mall, so she tried to catch shoppers at the other end of Aberdeen. As a small business with a limited advertising budget, she uses events like Black Friday to get her product out to more people and build her customer base.

And Wollman and Opp were thankful the caffeine options were available.

"[It] keeps us energized and everything," Opp said.

On an average day, the mall coffee shop might make a few hundred dollars in sales. On Black Friday, it was nearing a couple thousand by afternoon.

Some of the small businesses we talked with said they plan to expand hours throughout the holiday season so they can continue capitalizing on the holiday shoppers.

• Aberdeen, SD

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