DuPage downtowns a 'more low-key' experience

It was 9:40 a.m. The door of Wise Penny Resale Shop inched open enough for a woman to slide her arm through and hand numbers to about five people gathered by the entrance.

The soon-to-be shoppers reached quickly for the numbers and peppered the woman with questions about whether certain items in the window would be for sale.

It was the downtown Wheaton version of the Black Friday rush, and Barbara McGrath, 80, of Wheaton said it's her favorite way to shop.

“If you're smart, there's no reason to go to a retail store,” McGrath said. “I give my grandchildren Santa Clauses for a collection. I come here and try to get things that perhaps would be different than in the stores.”

Soon after McGrath started her day looking for unique used items, Kelli McDonald was on her eighth shopping stop in downtown Naperville. McDonald said she started shopping at 4 a.m. with her mother and mother-in-law.

Wearing a “Black Friday 2010” T-shirt she bought online, McDonald browsed Penzey's Spices, a small boutique a world away from stores she had already hit, including Target, Toys “R” Us, Best Buy and Kohl's.

“I think this is more low-key,” McDonald said.

Marie and Olive Herman stopped by Naper Nuts and Sweets on Friday morning for caramel corn, fudge and other goodies. But the candy shop purchases weren't their first of the day.

“I do the smart shopping now and start online before I come to stores,” Marie Herman said. “It's more leisurely.”

Olive Herman said she enjoyed being able to walk freely along the sidewalks instead of fighting crowds at malls or discount stores. And Marie Herman noted parking wasn't even a battle.

“I was actually surprised to see parking spaces in downtown Naperville,” she said.

While many shoppers were busy online or in stores, the annual start to the holiday shopping season started slowly at the DuPage Art League's downtown Wheaton shop, said Barbara Rothman, the art league's past president. The store is offering ornaments, scarves and holiday decorations crafted by local artists.

“It's easy to find a parking space,” Rothman joked.

Wheaton Religious Gift Shop and Church Supply had some early customers, including Nick Linden of Winfield. He brought his kids Eve, 8, and Aaron, 6, to look for a gift for their mother.

“They want to buy a throw for the couch with some scripture on it,” Linden said.

Linden said he planned to take his kids to another store or two, but his Black Friday would not be a shopping marathon.

“We're not heading to the malls,” he said.

Crush: Shoppers look to local stores for unique deals