Nov 27, 2009 4:57 pm US/Pacific
Holiday Shopping Season Off To A Good Start in O.C
COSTA MESA, Calif.
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Shoppers at Fair Oaks Mall in suburban Washington take advantage of steep post-Christmas discounts at many retailers on Dec. 26, 2008, in Fairfax, Va.
Brendan Hoffman/Getty Images
The holiday shopping season got off to an encouraging start in Orange County this Black Friday, retailers said.
"Things are going very well here," said Debra Gunn Downing, executive director of marketing for South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. "Our traffic is up 8 percent. The customers are happy, the mood is very positive."
Crowds started lining up as early as 4 a.m. when many of the stores weren't scheduled to open until 8 a.m.
Some South Coast Plaza stores catered to those eager shoppers with Sears opening at 4 a.m. and Macys opening at 5 a.m. Even the Plaza's new upscale clothing store, Miu Miu, sold four pairs of shoes when it opened, Downing said.
"I think we're turning the corner," Downing said. "It's definitely been a challenging year, but October started to look up and November's looking even better so going in to December we're very pleased."
Business also was brisk at the Irvine Spectrum in Irvine, Fashion Island in Newport Beach and The Marketplace, which straddles Irvine and Tustin, Nina Robinson of Irvine Co. Retail Properties said.
"Part of what we're seeing is a combination of pent-up demand and good values that are out there," Robinson said.
She said customer traffic at 5 a.m. was up 153 percent at the three malls compared to last year, and up 27 percent from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
"I just got back from all three centers and the parking lots are at 80 capacity," Robinson said. "It was encouraging. We're hopeful it sustains itself throughout the holiday season."
"Everybody is ready to say good riddance to this recession."
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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