Black Friday will start a day early for some retailers in hopes of bringing their sales figures out of the red during the year’s biggest selling season, which starts this week.
Mall officials said they are hoping for a better holiday retail season, which will boost the county’s mixed economy.
While some South Coast businesses, such as Santa Barbara’s new REI outdoor gear store, will close their doors for Thanksgiving, others plan to stay open or start selling at midnight. REI will open at 9 a.m. Friday.