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Shoppers drawn to the city’s downtown

Not all Black Friday shoppers hit the stores before sunup. Eileen Melone, left, her granddaughter Rebecca DeBore and daughter Renee DeBore, visited the Barnes & Noble bookstore in downtown Wilkes-Barre on Friday afternoon.

TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTO/CLARK VAN ORDEN

After picking up a new Wilkes University shirt at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Wilkes-Barre Friday afternoon, Mike Baker and his son Marcus headed down Main Street for the Army & Navy store.

Mike Miscavage, wearing a hat, owner of the Top of the Slope Ski Shop in Wilkes-Barre, waits on Black Friday shoppers. He’d like to see more retail stores in the downtown and snow on the slopes soon.

TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTO/CLARK VAN ORDEN

WILKES-BARRE – While shoppers chilly from overnight vigils stormed the malls before dawn, downtown’s Main Street offered the Black Friday alternative; shorter lines, less confusion, and plenty of fresh air and sunshine.
The pace was less harried and the space was less crowded for those who avoided the malls and big box retailers to begin their Christmas shopping. It’s not a stretch to say all the downtown stores could fit under one roof inside a mall.
“I think the downtowns are the way to go,” said Eileen Melone of Wilkes-Barre as she caught up with her daughter Renee DeBore and granddaughter Rebecca in the new Barnes & Noble bookstore.
Melone, who has a real estate business on Carey Avenue, came carrying coupons for the outing and wanting to show off the downtown’s newest addition to the out-of-towners from Exton.
The trio browsed through the tables and shelves stacked with softcover and hardcover works of fiction, children’s picture books, history and self-help shortly after noon, around the same time their early bird counterparts were beginning their second shift of shopping.
The bookstore’s doors opened to a sunbathed sidewalk where, nearby, Salvation Army bell ringers set up a red kettle for donations.
The selection inside the bookstore was good, but outside, there were empty storefronts and buildings. “I’m hoping to see more retail, independent shops,” Melone said.
What’s been happening in the downtown has been a plus. The new theater complex, bars and streetlights, all part of downtown’s revitalization, are a start. But Mike Miscavage wants company.
“We definitely need more retail,” said Miscavage, owner of Top of the Slope Ski Shop. His store, a mainstay on Main Street for years, was busy with shoppers checking out ski and snowboard gear and skateboard hardware.
Susan Dutko brought her niece, nephew and his friend to the specialty shop.
“I tend to stay away from the malls,” said Dutko, an area native who lives in Chambersburg.
She spied a ski jacket on one of the racks for her son. Her eyes also noticed the changes on the street.
“I definitely see a little bit of action and activity,” Dutko said. “It seems to be a little cleaner.”
Down the block, Max Bartikowsky watched the activity in his store. Bartikowsky Jewelers just celebrated its 119th anniversary, he said.
The business settled into its latest location decades ago and found its niche in fine jewelry. “It’s more personal,” he said of shopping in his store. Patrons can park off street in the store’s lot and a security guard is stationed inside the building.
“We’re here and doing our part,” Bartikowsky said.
The Baker family is doing its part too, spending money in the downtown.
After hitting the mall, they headed to the city.
“Down there,” said Mike Baker, pointing toward Public Square, “they really cleaned it up some.”
A 1999 graduate of Wilkes University and a Hanover Township native, Baker, his wife and children came in from New Jersey to visit family. He was walking down Main Street with his son Marcus riding on his shoulders on their way to the Army & Navy surplus store.
Baker said he purchased a new Wilkes shirt at the Barnes & Noble. His wife had taken their other son to the movie theater.
“We spent our dollars in Wilkes-Barre,” Baker said.
The Video Game Store opened early to take advantage of the start of the shopping season. Normally the front door is locked until noon, but Friday it was opened at 9 a.m., said Warren Rookwood, store manager.
“I made three major sales as soon as I opened up,” he said.
The store, located across the street from Boscov’s, has been getting more walk-in traffic since it moved there about five months ago from the Midtown Village.
“That definitely helps us,” Rookwood said of having the department store as a neighbor.
Boscov’s was the store of choice for Ann Marie Lebron. She celebrated her sixth birthday on Thanksgiving. Her mother, Vonn, her brother Andrew, her grandmother Crystal Muse and great-grandmother Eve Zellner joined her for the shopping trip.
“She has her credit card and she is going to spend it at Boscov’s,” said her grandmother, who coaxed the child to unsnap her pink wallet and display the gift card.
The child’s grandmother and great-grandmother left the others behind in the store. The elder Zellner, who walked with the aid of a cane, needed to rest. There were no benches to sit on in the store, so they went back to the car to sit down, said the grandmother.
The little girl did pick out a gift, a charm for her necklace, said her grandmother.