For the last 15 years, Old Town Alexandria small businesses have been celebrating their own twist on Black Friday called "Plaid Friday."
"Plaid Friday is the alternative to Black Friday," said Fibre Space Owner Danielle Romanetti.
Romanetti actually founded Plaid Friday 15 years ago.
"We’ve reclaimed the day," Romanetti said. "It was a day where everyone went to the mall and went to the big box stores and we’ve slowly changed people’s shopping to come out and support local."
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She started calling it Plaid Friday a few years ago, getting the idea from small businesses in California.
"It’s intended to sort of illustrate the woven threads of your business community," Romanetti said.
It's an alternative that had Alexandria bustling on the biggest shopping day of the year.
At Old Town Books, there were sales for Plaid Friday shoppers.
"If you’re wearing plaid, you get 20 percent off of your entire purchase," Old Town Books Melissa LaSalle said.
About 50 small businesses in Alexandria participated in the annual event. Some of the stores even opened early for shoppers like the big box stores normally do.
"We had a couple hundred folks through the door," Romanetti said. "We had a line out front to get in."
Romanetti opened up at 6 a.m.
The shopping event is a big hit with Alexandrians who want to support local stores
"It’s so great to support the community," Meghan Von Rembow of Alexandria said. "They all put on great sales… I find more things when I’m walking around town and they’re more personalized."
The deals don’t stop there. Several businesses in Alexandria are also participating in Small Business Saturday.
