Shreveport-Bossier retailers urge you to shop small on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday

For Sissy Collins, owner of Favorite Sisters’ Boutique, Black Friday means business.

The shop at 5723 Youree Drive has a tagline “Real Clothes. Real People. Real Prices,” as a way to distinguish it from anonymous, online opportunities that begin following you the moment you hesitate over a clothing ad on social media.

Online retailers, with their often low pricing and sometimes spotty quality, are all competing with this one small shop in Shreveport. It is an existential threat to Collins and other Shreveport, Bossier City and northwest Louisiana stores that have come up with Black Friday and Small Business Saturday events and who work the remainder of the year to remind customers that these mom-and-pop shops have strong community connections.

Is the tide turning back to in-person shopping?

Forbes reports small local retailers are having a moment, as customers opt for an experience other than swiping on a mobile device, and as they look for quality over quantity, sustainability and service after the sale. It is an uphill battle, said Chris Rhodes, the co-owner with wife Katy of the Crockett Street Trading Co. in Shreveport.

“Everyone in retail, the big companies and corporations are getting a much earlier lead time now than they ever have before,” Rhodes said. “People’s attention span is shorter, their need for instant gratification is higher than ever. So it’s crucial right now to get as much money as possible, any way possible.”

Collins is new to retail. She moved to Shreveport from Arkansas this year to be close to her grandchildren and decided to purchase her first boutique. Her Pink Friday sales event on Nov. 22 was successful, and she hopes her Black Friday sales will spark additional excitement.

Favorite Sisters’ Boutique has been known to have customers lined up outside in the dark before its opening on Black Friday.

“In the past, they have stood in line, some people camped out overnight with tents, porta potties, all of that, so they could be the first 100 people through the door,” Collins said. “They got this VIP bag that entitles them to 40% off their entire purchase once a month for the whole year.”

While having people line up at 2 a.m. for the VIP bags was impressive, Collins has made a change to encourage people to spend money while they are there — and to keep foot traffic flowing throughout the day.

This year, for each $100 a shopper spends, they will get one entry in a drawing to win the monthly 40% off shopping days. The earlier shoppers get to the store, and the more they spend, the more chances they will have. Shoppers will also benefit from percentage off deals during the day, beginning with 40% at 8 a.m. and dropping to 20% as Black Friday wears on.

Other smaller retailers including the Benton Boutique at 6550 Highway 3 in Benton; Crockett Street Trading Co. at 421 Crockett St.; The Grove, 107 Spring St.; Krush Boutique, 4801 Line Ave., all in Shreveport, and Sloan’s Formals at 2950 E. Texas St. and the “Shop Small Market” at Pierre-Bossier Mall in Bossier City are having special sales and events.

The big retailers will be throwing sales, too. Walmart, J.C. Penney and Bass Pro Shops will be opening their doors at 5 a.m. Friday, Nov. 29. Best Buy, Target, Home Depot and Lowe’s will be among the stores opening at 6 a.m.

The National Retail Federation says a record 183.4 million people are planning to shop in-store and online from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year, according to the annual survey by the NRD and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

The numbers continue to rise, up from 182 million in 2023 and more than 18 million higher than 2019.