By By Adrienne McKenzie
The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday and marks the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season.
Some people make a mad dash to Pensacola or Mobile to find special items on sale, but many Atmore residents have found just what they need in town.
Peebles assistant manager Linda Tyree said the store opened at 7 a.m. Friday and that there were lines of people waiting to shop 'til they dropped.
"For 7:00 we were busier than usual," Tyree said. "We had them lined up. It has been a good turnout."
For those residents who stuck around Atmore on Black Friday, they could find just what they needed without spending the $3 per gallon on gas to get to Mobile or Pensacola.
There are many clothing items that could be found at Peebles along with household decorations and many toys. Individuals can bargain shop at Hudson's Dirt Cheap in Atmore, also.
Earle's Jewelers owner Wayne Dunn said traffic in his store was not abnormal on Black Friday.
But, there will be many sales within the next few weeks at the store located on North Main Street.
"We run a flyer that will be coming out in next Wednesday's paper and we do all kinds of sales between now and Christmas," Dunn said.
Earle's is the only locally owned jewelry store in the Atmore area and his sales consultants are willing to go the extra mile to please the customer.
"Just say you are looking for an engagement solitaire," Dunn said. "If you describe what you want, from the size of the diamond to the cut and setting, I can get it as early as overnight. We can customize a ring to the customer's preference."
However, the hot item this Christmas season is the Pandora and it can be found locally only at Earle's Jewelers.
Pandora was created in order for a woman to be able to express her personal trends through a creative assortment of charm bracelets and matching jewelry. Each portion of Pandora jewelry is handcrafted in sterling silver and 14K gold and each charm on the bracelet has its own special story to tell.
Earle's will be open six days a week in order to fill Christmas needs.
Both Country Charms owner Joe Brown and Radio Shack owner Daulton Anderson said Black Friday was full of customers.
"It's been nice, we've had more than the average day," Brown said.
"It's been a fair crowd," Anderson said.
Customers can find all sorts of Christmas items at Country Charms and many toys and electronics at Radio Shack.
So, if you are a procrastinator for Christmas, Black Friday is not the only time you can buy your special someone a gift. You can search around Atmore and find just the right item to make your sweetie smile on Christmas morning.