Officially kicking off the holiday shopping season, Black Thursday and Black Friday hysteria is, of course, expected to yield packed stores, significant lines, and relatively controlled, if not slightly frenzied, traffic. And the booming business is surely set to intensify in the coming weeks, officials report. For all the ubiquitous, chaotic keyboard shopping that seemingly dominates the season, brick-and-mortar joints remain as popular as ever. Certainly, Lake County is no different, noted Mentor Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Christine Weber. In fact, “the push” of shopping mania started a couple of weeks ago for many local businesses. “I have been visiting and talking to some of them and they are very pleased and excited about how busy they have been before Thanksgiving,” she said. “They feel confident they are off to a solid holiday season. Since the pandemic, I (really do) feel we have seen a trend to go back to shopping locally — I feel people were hit with the reality of what can happen, and what did happen, to some businesses when you don’t support those in your community.” Weber emphasized that, naturally, big-box stores, malls and lifestyle centers will always stand as tough competition for small and independent spots, as they have a national advertising advantage and brand name. However, Lake County is fortunate to have small business owners who remain successful despite such challenges. “Again, it goes back to our communities which are very centered on such support,” Weber said. “The smaller boutiques seem to be doing very well in our area, and I think people, especially the women in our area, value the personal gift items, finding a gift for others or themselves, things you can’t find elsewhere and no one else will have in their personal collections. “Plus, they like the personal customer service. We want personalized attention — customer service is everything. I know how much it means to me personally as well, especially in a restaurant,” she continued. “One thing I have learned from working in the chamber business for almost 30 years (is that) customer service can definitely make or break your business, no matter what sector you are in.” Regarding internet shopping, which is as routine as commerce gets, the majority of local retailers and restaurants remain “very proactive,” and certainly in the last 10 years, by creating and advertising an online presence for items and gift cards. Moreover, it’s the Mentor Chamber’s job, Weber noted, to promote retailers, restaurants and the service industry and to remind the community to continue to shop local, an endeavor that shouldn’t be interpreted as an alternative. “Plus there are still a lot of people I talk to who still want to see, touch and feel what they are buying — everyone wants to get the ‘perfect’ gift and sometimes when you order online it can lead to disappointment for the buyer and recipient,” she said. Such promotion, naturally, begins to swirl around specials for the weekend after Thanksgiving, Weber added, noting the importance of “Small Business Saturday” on Nov. 30. Interestingly enough, she said, social media platforms help boost awareness. “We share posts on Facebook and create our lists of members who have deals and special holiday events,” Weber emphasized. “We do this all year long, and not just for the holidays….we share and promote anything to help them do business, including a job hiring board every Friday.” Additionally, many restaurants, bakeries and catering companies feature holiday menus to help with consumers’ holiday dinners, already running Black Friday specials, and creating/hosting “unique shopping events,” not only for their stores but also in collaboration with other small businesses near them. “They are also promoting giveback opportunities to benefit our local nonprofits,” Weber said. “I really feel like our retailers and restaurants are going all out this year and started much earlier in November to kick off a wonderful holiday season for everyone.” In addition to personalized gifts, she added that trends have included making shopping a family event, with dinners and other activities, such as movies, concluding a busy evening. Moreover, Weber noted, the shopping that takes place until the end of the year and beyond, many times, gives local businesses “the last push” they need to make their budgeted numbers. “It also helps them clear inventory to make room for the new merchandise in the new year,” she said. “We have so many members having sales, shopping and sipping events, and breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and pet photos with Santa or the Grinch.” Weber added that day-after-Christmas sales remain as popular as ever, with not-so-personal gift cards and extra dining bucks leading to satisfying finds. “We encourage everyone to shop local, use local service companies, eat local, and not just during the holiday season but every day,” she said. “These hard-working folks put their hearts and souls, and, many times, their life savings into their businesses to provide more options to enhance our lives in many different ways and to make our wonderful, tight-knit community a better place for us to work, live and play.” National numbers Additionally, the National Retail Federation, based in Washington, D.C., predicts that holiday sales will increase by 2.5 to 3.5 percent, from last year, to between $979.5 billion and $989 billion, “slower growth” than 2023 when sales increased by 3.8 percent. The trade association also forecasts that digital sales will increase by 8 to 9 percent, year-over-year, to $295.1 billion. Retail sales, the NRF estimates, will increase by 2.5 to 3.5 percent this year, between $5.23 and $5.28 trillion. Regarding store brands, officials detailed that private-label brands are expected to continue to grow, “with 40 percent of consumers thinking they are a good alternative to national brands.”