Black Friday shoppers flocked to downtown Paso Robles in search of deals, Christmas presents and things they didn’t even know they needed.
“So far it’s been just beautiful. It’s absolutely everything one could hope for,” said Chris Frazier, who was visiting from Santa Cruz.
"I never knew that I needed a little itty, bitty, teeny, tiny cutting board," said Heidi Kozlowski, who was visiting from San Jose.
“We like shopping and we like Paso and the downtown area is a really nice place to be," said Tracy Richardson, Atascadero resident.
“It is a little bit crazy because the stores are usually overwhelming with people," said Helena Wong, who was visiting from San Francisco.
Wong chose to sit back and watch the Black Friday shoppers from afar as she has already completed her Christmas shopping online and says there are many benefits associated with doing so.
“Definitely, if you don’t want the crowd and also in the luxury of your PJs," Wong said.
But plenty of people showed up to shop in the downtown area, supporting the local economy.
“There is kind of a difference in the air. People are really excited to be back and shopping for their loved ones I think,” said Bella Yaguda, General Store Paso Robles employee.
“It’s really nice to see everyone just coming in and supporting our business," said Sarah Gaultney, Firefly store manager.
“I think people are so happy to support local. I think now more than ever everyone understands the importance of that,” said Sara Hernandez, Ambiance Paso Robles store manager.
Most stores were offering some type of deal throughout the day.
“This is our sale section so we have an entire room of sale which is a little crazy right now. Everything in here is 60% off the original price,” Gaultney said.
But if you missed Black Friday, there’s always Small Business Saturday. Hernandez says they’re expecting a good number of shoppers tomorrow as well.
“Again, I think Paso is all about supporting their local community so I think we’ll see a great mix of tourists and locals,” she said.
“This time of year for us, November and December, in general, are definitely our most important months," Yaguda added.
Small businesses in downtown Paso Robles say they’re planning promotions for Saturday as well and really appreciate the support of community members who shop locally.
