Merchants in downtown Peterborough were happy with the turnout on Plaid Friday despite a snow squall, gusts of wind and freezing temperatures.
Jacqueline Hobbes, owner of Hobbes Jewelers, said she felt the weather was “mystical.”
“The snow gets people in the holiday spirit,” she said. “It’s been so beautiful, and people love to get out and about and see old friends. We’ve been flat out with shoppers all day. It’s been great.”
Melissa Carson of Anytime Apparel said her promotion — free hats for anyone who spent more than $50 — was “going great.”
“The morning was quiet, but we’ve been really busy since about noon, and people love the hats,” Carson said.
At Gaia’s Blessing at 1 Summer Street, owner AJ Spicer said her shop had seen a steady stream of shoppers.
“It’s been a nice day, we’ve had a lot of holiday shoppers, people just checking out, ” she said.
Emerson Sistare, owner of Toadstool Books, said it had been a busy day.
“People are great, they really come and support local businesses,” he said.
At the new Blue Fern Gallery, located in the alley under Steele’s Stationers and across from Twist ice cream, Miriam Dunn and Sophie Sanders were keeping a tally of visitors.
“We’ve had 44 shoppers,” Sanders said.
“We’ve had a very good day. We had a big rush around noon,” Dunn said.
Dunn said Blue Fern Gallery will be open every day until Christmas.
“Just for this time of year, we will be open seven days a week, displaying the work of 21 local artists,” Dunn said. “We’ve switched out the art to reflect the season, replaced the fall-themed art with winter-themed, a lot of snow scenes and holiday items.”
Jennifer Luke of Remarkable, in the Centertown building on Main Street in Peterborough, said Plaid Friday is “always busy.”
“It’s been busy in waves all day,” Luke said. “It’s almost like a reunion day. Everyone comes home and wants to get out and about and see their old friends, their old teachers, their neighbors. We love Plaid Friday.”
