Forget the Mall, They Shopped Small on Black Friday

 A day before Small Business Saturday, Black Friday to be precise, while malls and outlets, discount stores and supers stores were packed with savings-seeking shoppers, downtown’s weren’t doing too badly -- especially in downtown Madison.

“We had a little line of people outside the door before 10 when we opened,” said Suzanne Coopersmith of R. J. Julia, downtown Madison’s independent bookseller.  Indeed, at 11, the store was filled with shoppers.

On the street, shoppers were out in force; some meandering, others darting in and out of shops: Ciao Bella, Willoughby’s Coffee and Tea, Foxglove & Madison Cheese, .

Meanderers Ann and Frank  Gallant of Brewer, Maine were visiting their son and his family, as they do every holiday and made their faithful stop in downtown Madison to do a little shopping.

“Where the real people shop,” said Ann. “A better ambience, it’s good for the local economy and it’s a tradition that I go to R. J. Julia and buy a book for my grandkids.”  

A number of the cars parked downtown boasted out-of-state plates: South Carolina, North Carolina, Vermont, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and new York, to name but a few. And speaking of New York, native Manhattan Islander Evelyn Tang said her find of the morning were coffee and “coffee accoutrements” at Willoughby’s: “A bit cheaper than the city.”