Black Friday is just days away and Marblehead is gearing up. Local business owners will be turning their lights on in their stores at sunrise, or before. Certainly, those on Atlantic Avenue, Pleasant Street and the Historic District are hoping that people stay local and shop with them. As Kristen Pollard, owner of Pleasant Street’s Mud Puddle Toy said, “It is absolutely the biggest organized Black Friday we’ve ever had.”

The Marblehead Merchants Group has worked very hard to entice people to spend their money locally rather than at larger chains or online. About three years ago, the merchants group decided that they should share their resources and serve as an advocacy group for the area.

The group put out feelers to see which merchants plan to offer deals on Black Friday and which ones plan to open early.

As Dawn LiVigne of Atlantic Avenue’s EOS Designs Studio said, “The response was overwhelmingly successful.” They had a flyer printed and over 21 businesses are participating in the Black Friday event and flyer. The earliest stores will open at 6:30am and many will offer discounts ranging from 20% off to 50% off store-wide or selected merchandise.