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Overcast Shop till you drop in Cedarhurst
Three-day event this weekend
To generate sales for a variety of stores and to help ease the holiday gift scramble, the Cedarhurst Business Improvement District is partnering with the village to offer bargains during a three-day shopping bonanza this Friday — Black Friday — through Sunday. Saturday will feature a Midnight Madness Super Blowout Sale from 8 p.m. to midnight.
“The Black Friday/Midnight Madness event alone generates hundreds of thousands in revenue and brings in many thousands of shoppers to Cedarhurst,” Teri Schure, the BID’s executive director, said of the event, which is in its seventh year. Since 1993, the Cedarhurst BID has advocated for more than 200 businesses and restaurants in the one-square-mile municipality.
Schure said that the three days of shopping are also a social event. The crowd was estimated at more than 4,000 at last year’s Midnight Madness. Nearly 60 stores and restaurants will participate this year, she added. Each summer, the BID and village join forces to sponsor the three-day Sidewalk Sale, which also brings of shoppers to the village from nearby communities and from as far away as New Jersey and Connecticut.
“You can feel a certain excitement in the air,” said Steve Silverman, the owner of Morton’s Army & Navy Store, at 533 Central Ave. Morton’s has been in business since 1931, set up shop on Cedarhurst Avenue in 1933, has been at its current location on Central Avenue since 2005 and has taken part in the Black Friday weekend event every year since it started in 2010.
“It’s a change from the normal routine, in a good way,” Silverman said, adding that the store would offer 20 percent off single items this weekend and 20 percent off entire purchases during Midnight Madness.
In December, parking in all 10 municipal village lots will be free not only on weekends, as it always is, but also Monday through Friday beginning at noon. The free parking does not include metered spaces on streets or parking that requires a permit.
Since 2010, American Express has promoted the Saturday after Thanksgiving as Small Business Saturday. It was recognized by the U.S. Senate in 2011, and gained support from the president, governors and mayors. Through Dec. 31, American Express cardholders can earn double rewards at small businesses.
“We take a very active interest in the health and success of our shopping areas,” said Cedarhurst Mayor Benjamin Weinstock. He added that of the three ways to shop these days — locally, at a mall or online — local options offer a wide variety of merchandise with less hustle and bustle than the mall. “Cedarhurst is unique in its ability to prove a fun shopping experience,” Weinstock said.
