Plaid Friday at The Hive & The Shoe Hive

I have always thought that the term “Black Friday” meant the days stores went from being in the “red” to being in the “black,” which basically means it is the day they start to finally turn a profit for the year. As a longtime independent retailer, I can relate to that meaning for sure.When I Googled it, though, some other meanings came up which were even more depressing.Black Friday is also known as a financial crisis back in the 1890 due to two ruthless Wall Street financiers trying to buy all the nation’s gold to drive up prices. It also was used in 1950 when Philadelphia was flooded with so many shoppers and tourists for the Army-Navy football game that cops couldn’t control crowds or traffic and this helped lead to an abundance of shoplifting.So maybe it is time for a new name? The Old Town Boutiques has decided to rename it this year. Okay, so the name isn’t our idea, it came from Oakland, California where shopping local is as much as a part of their identity as it is in Old Town. They wanted to make it fun day that was about community. So they came up with Plaid Friday, which represents the weaving of the individual threads of small businesses together to create a strong fabric that celebrates diversity among small businesses.Since Alexandria’s heritage is a commercial district founded by Scottish merchants, we thought, well, this is too perfect, how could we not join in on the movement: Plaid Friday. So look for plaid bows on all the doors and local stores to mark their celebration of “Plaid Friday.” To find out all the participating stores in Old Town, check out the Old Town Boutique District.The Hive and The Shoe Hive, of course, will be opening at 6am and don’t worry -- we will have doughnuts and coffee.So here is how it works this year at The Hive and The Shoe Hive: from 6-8am we are doing 30 percent off anything in the store, then at 8am we go to 20 percent off for the rest of the day. This is the best Black Friday sale we have ever offered!So shop early for the biggest discounts and the best selection, but if you aren’t an early bird, don’t worry. There are still great deals the rest of the day, as well .And did I mention that for the first time ever you can apply the discount to sale items as well? Consider that the stocking stuffer on top of your big holiday discount.Happy Plaid Friday.