15 Years of Plaid Friday Magic, Lessons, and Lots of Coffee
It is hard to believe that this is the 15th year we have done Plaid Friday with other retailers in Old Town. I will always know exactly when we started because the year prior, 2009, Danielle of fibre space called me and asked me to participate, along with a handful of other stores. Coleman was only a few months old, Blair was two and a handful, and I was like, “No thanks, I’m headed to Cincinnati.”
Well, that was the last time I traveled out of town for Thanksgiving. It has just become our family tradition to be here. For some years, my parents and siblings even came to Alexandria and worked, and I hope to talk them into it again one day. The funny thing is I always thought my kids hated working that day when they were off from school, but the other day we were talking about Thanksgiving and Coleman said, “I love Black Friday.” I guess he is just a retail kid at heart. Blair loves it, too, and even works the floor now starting at 6am with me. We make it a family affair. We send Brad and Coleman out for coffee and food for the crew and have them restock shoes or tidy up the store.
If you are also in Alexandria for Thanksgiving weekend, I hope you will stop in and see us at The Hive. We once again (along with a group of other stores) are opening at 6am. We will offer 30% off the entire store from 6am to 8am. Then when the clock strikes 8am we move to 20% off until 10am, and after that, the rest of the day everything is 10% off.
I always like to give a little shopping advice for Plaid Friday—though I realize you may not need it after 15 years. It’s clear that our customers are smart and know exactly what to shop for this time of year.
First off, going for the new arrivals is always a smart move. Literally, things that we unpack next Wednesday will be included in the sale one day only, on Plaid Friday. Resort wear otherwise doesn’t go on sale until late spring, so it is a great way to get a good deal on something new to us. Some of my retail peers in other cities are startled to hear we do this on new arriving merchandise, but I feel so strongly about our little shopping destination that I want to be all in on this local tradition.
In this vein, I asked everyone at the store to pick their favorite new arrival. It was the first time that I have ever asked everyone to pick and nobody picked the same thing. That is a sign we have a great selection right now. We have new pieces from Ulla Johnson, TWP, Rachel Comey, Allude, and many others. Check them out below!
My second piece of advice is to check out things that never go on sale—like jewelry, sunglasses, socks, tights, and candles. We rarely mark these things down, even in clearance mode, so if you have been eyeing something, this is your best chance.
So set your alarms and make it an early morning. I can even send Brad or Coleman to grab you a coffee!
