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The holiday season is upon us and that means shopping. This Friday after Thanksgiving, what consumers have nicknamed Black Friday will hit stores in places like Iowa City, Des Moines and even Creston.
Several local stores are boasting Black Friday deals in the Creston shopping district. These stores, like U.S. Cellular and Java J’s, will have deals available during the coming shopping days.
U.S. Cellular
At U.S. Cellular, phones and other gadgets are on sale.
New and current customers who purchase two Samsung Galaxy S devices will receive a free 58-inch Samsung Smart HDTV. There is also a chance to receive $500 in promotional cards with the purchase of a Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone.
Other gadgets available for purchase are a Parrot mini-drone rolling spider, which is a drone controlled through an app on a smartphone; UE Roll 2 Bluetooth speaker, which is a speaker that can withstand water; and Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch, a fitness watch that can pair with the Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone.
“During this holiday season, we can be a one-stop shop for all of your technology gift-giving needs for the entire family,” said Jared Blecha, Creston U.S. Cellular sales manager.
The Creston store’s hours will be from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. The store is located at 1101 S. Sumner Ave.
“In addition to the smartphones, tablets and other devices that loved ones can unwrap, they will also be gifted with access to a fast 4G LTE network to help them stay connected to the people and information that is important to them, whenever and wherever they need it,” Blecha said.
Java J’s and True Value
Java J’s and True Value, located at 801 W. Townline St., also boasts deals for the holiday shopping season.
Both stores will be open their normal hours, from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
“We sell gift items like home decor, Willow Tree, socks, candles, purses, coffee, fudge and, of course, lots of Christmas decor this time of year,” said Juliann Sinn, owner of Java J’s.
While Juliann said the deals on Friday, which will be in several different categories, will be a surprise, her husband, Kent, co-owner of True Value, said they have a Black Friday deal already available.
“We have retail, hardware, giftware, power tools and equipment available,” Kent said. “We’ve got a Black Friday coupon in our advertisement right now. Any item at $49.99 or less is 50 percent off if it’s not already on sale.”
The coupon is required for the deal. Kent said there are also other items discounted for the upcoming weekend.
Maple Street Memories
For Maple Street Memories Manager Barb Coenen, Black Friday is not as popular at the store as it is in bigger cities like Des Moines. However, the store, located at 222 N. Maple St., will still be open for shoppers.
“We have scrapbooking items and just general crafting things, but we also do a lot of custom work for people,” Coenen said. “Right at Christmastime is when people get all these great ideas.”
Maple Street Memories will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
“We don’t get a lot of Black Friday traffic because everyone is so excited about Black Friday deals from the big box stores,” Coenen said. “We do have a lot of really fun smaller Christmas items like coloring books and craft items.”
Coenen also said Tom Dunphy will be at Maple Street Memories Saturday selling gift cards. A portion of the money will be donated to St. Malachy School, and Dunphy will have a variety of cards available to stores and shops like Starbucks or Home Depot.
“When you start thinking about the number of stores in Creston, it is tremendous,” Coenen said. “You get a lot of the little shops. There’s a lot of things you can get in Creston.”
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Creston Chamber of Commerce's annual Holiday GiveAway begins on Black Friday and ends at the close of business Dec. 13.
The drawing will be held 10:30 a.m. Dec. 14 at Creston Chamber of Commerce for prizes totaling $1,500 in Creston Bucks. Two grand-prize winners will each receive $500 in Creston Bucks. Five winners will receive $100 in Creston Bucks.
Creston Chamber of Commerce businesses will hand out tickets as purchases are made. Keep half of the ticket and the other half goes in the box at the business for the drawing.
Individuals do not have to be present to win but must bring the winning ticket to the chamber, located at 208 W. Taylor St., by no later than 4 p.m. Jan. 5. If prizes are not collected by then, new tickets will be drawn for the remaining prizes.