With downtown Ellensburg full of independent businesses, the Ellensburg Downtown Association is hosting the national event Plaid Friday.

Plaid Friday is an alternative experience to Black Friday, aimed at promoting local and independent shops.

The day long celebration on Nov. 28 encourages holiday shoppers to veer away from hectic lines at big box retailers and support local businesses.

During Plaid Friday, customers wearing plaid receive special discounts at participating businesses in the downtown area.

“Historically, Black Friday is the biggest shopping day for large box stores and retailers,” Mark Holloway, D&M Coffee co-owner, said. “We were thinking Plaid Friday would be a fun way to promote local businesses and the diversity they offer.”

For D&M Coffee Company owners Mark Holloway and Donna Malek, Plaid Friday has been a celebratory day for their company.

According to Holloway, the couple was part of the initial committee that brought Plaid Friday to Ellensburg in hopes of turning Black Friday into something more local.

“Our local merchants are here to serve the customer and they are in a unique position,” Holloway said. “They are not only the merchant selling the product, they are your neighbors and customers themselves. You can spend $1 in Ellensburg and it stays in Ellensburg, helping our community thrive.”

Holloway said that ‘Hometown Holiday’ events like Plaid Friday are a great way for businesses to say thank you to the customers of Ellensburg for being a part of the community.

“I think our Ellensburg community, both merchants and customers, value the unique things that are available here in town,” Holloway said. “Where else can you go to a 100 year-old business like Fitterer’s and have them bake cookies for you while you shop for that special gift? Or at D&M Coffee, where you can purchase a unique gift card with artwork designed by the owners who attended the art program at CWU?”

Holloway said that they are looking forward to a busy holiday season.

Plaid Friday was launched in 2010 out of Oakland, Calif., a town known for sponsoring local business campaigns, according to plaidfriday.com.

According to Leslie Newton, manager of Sedona Sun, the after Thanksgiving shopping rush doesn’t attract enough customers to her store for them to participate in events like Plaid Friday.

“Small businesses have to compete with big-box chains and their advertising so most customers go to chains like Fred Meyer,” Newton said. “I don’t want to make people, both my workers and customers, come in on Thanksgiving or the day after. It’s family time.”

Newton said that competing with big-name businesses in advertisements and sales is too costly and Sedona won’t be open for Plaid Friday.

With the store motto, “friends don’t let friends shop at chain stores,” Megan West, owner of Claim Clothing on Pearl Street, is excited to participate in events like Plaid Friday that support local businesses. West said that this is the store’s first year participating in Hometown Holiday Events such as Plaid Friday.

“It is important to support small businesses,” West said. “I didn’t understand how important local businesses are until I starting owning my shop, but it’s a good way to see and, from a business point, show locals what we have to offer.”

West said that the Claim Clothing store has been busy since she opened in May of this year and is prepared for a lively holiday season.

“We don’t know what to expect, or have concrete numbers, so we are basing product and promos on the demands from our customers. We will be going with the flow this year and next year we will be twice as prepared,” West said.

Because this is Claim’s first year participating, West is planning special promotions to attract customers including Starbucks card door busters and deals throughout the shop.

“Since this is our first year, we are preparing for any outcome,” West said. “Sounds like there are many downtown events planned the same day so it will bring more and different crowds down.”