Black Friday is upon us.  But here’s what you need to know to save this weekend around Decatur.  (Decatur area businesses – you are welcome to advertise their deals this weekend in the comments section below.)

Amex – Small Business Saturday – Up to $30 Credit on Your Credit Card

Get up to $30 back from American Express when you spend at local stores.  OK, so here’s how this works.

• Register your qualifying AMEX card at their website HERE.
• Check their map for participating shops and restaurants.  Here’s a selection of shops participating in downtown Decatur
  • Little Shop of Stories
  • Eddie’s Attic
  • Vivid Boutique
  • Homegrown
  • Squash Blossom
  • Sq/Ft
  • Unlimited PCS
  • Collage Gift
  • Select Soles
  • Kimball House
  • Harbour Bar
  • Sapori di Napoli
  • Jeni’s Ice Cream
• Spend at least $10 at up to 3 participating shops on November 29th and get a $10 credit on your Amex statement for each purchase.

That’s it!

Decatur – Small Business Weekend Festivities, Giveaways and Santa!

The City of Decatur also has gotten in the Small Business Saturday game the last few years and this year they’re expanding the offerings across the whole weekend.  S

Saturday and Sunday, Decatur is hosting a variety of festivities on Decatur Square including “live music, giveaways, free gift wrapping for city of Decatur shop purchases, and a special Saturday Santa appearance (Santa will be in the event tent on the Square from 3-5pm. Visits are FREE, bring your own camera to take pictures.)” according to the Decatur Minute.

Spend $200 in Decatur and Get $20 Restaurant Gift Card

The Decatur Minute also reminds us of this promotion they’ve been running all month.

“Spend $200 at any Decatur shop during the month of November, bring your receipts to the Decatur Visitors Center and receive a $20 gift card from a local restaurant. You don’t have to spend $200 all in one place, just make sure you keep all of your receipts from any store located in City of Decatur any day of the week (not just Thursdays!). Bring your receipts to the Visitor’s Center at 113 Clairemont Ave. and you’ll have your choice of gift cards from one of Decatur’s restaurants. Limited to 3 cards per person while supplies last. We will be taking receipts on Nov. 29th and 30th at the event tent on the Square.”

Ripped from The Decatur Minute…

Black Friday
• Boogaloos After Thanksgiving Day Sale. 30 percent off all full price merchandise from 9am-1pm and 15 percent off all full price merchandise after 1pm through Sunday, Nov. 25.
• At Decatur CD, Black Friday means independent-record-store-only releases. Click here for a full list.
• Boutique Karma’s Black Friday Sale lasts through Nov. 25, 25 percent off the entire store.

Small Business Saturday
11am-5pm on the Square
Do your holiday shopping in Decatur and bring your local purchases to the Decatur tent on the square to get them wrapped for free! There will be holiday music, five minute massages, Keep It Indie-Catur gift basket raffles, free college football face tattoos, candy, and live musical performances around town.

1-4pm Harmony Park, Oakhurst
Bring your dog with you to Harmony Park in Oakhurst from 1-4pm to get a holiday pet portrait made.

Remember to save your receipts! Spend $200 at city of Decatur shops in the month of November, then bring them to the square on Small Business Saturday or to the second floor of City Hall during the week and get a $20 gift card from a Decatur restaurant while supplies last.

Are you another Decatur-area businesses offering deals after Thanksgiving?  Though we don’t usually allow advertising in the comments section, as a late November gift to Decatur’s business community, feel free to tell us all about your offerings and specials this weekend in the comments section below!

Photo courtesy of Jo

Disclosure: The City of Decatur is a DM sponsor

An anonymous tipster notes that the popular design blog, Design*Sponge, recently updated their shopping and design guide for Atlanta, and because Decatur is technically a “different city”, didn’t include many of our shops and ‘struants amongst the recommended (although Heliotrope somehow snuck onto the list).

Anywho, in the comments section of the guide, Decatur-lovers freaked-the-geek out, snarking up things like…

…Decatur, which was completely missing from the list…

What? No Decatur? Boo… Glad to see Atlanta on this site, tho…

i would loooooove a decatur shopping guide on here! if you need suggestions…

OK, so not so much “freaking out” as expressing rational displeasure, but still, the people had spoken and the word was “Decatur Guide me gosh darn it!”

All this Declamoring evoked a response from one of the D*S folks…

that’s a different city so it wouldn’t be part of this guide, but i’m happy to publish a decatur guide with any local who’s willing to help

So, who’s gonna help ’em out?  And what will you say?

Can you imagine trying to shop and eat your way around Decatur in a couple days?  Do any Decatur shops sell men’s pants with expandable waists anymore?

Paula reports in a comment that the Decatur shop owned by Nelson Mandela’s former corrections minister, Pambili African Artworks, is moving out of it’s current location in the Artisan.

No word yet on where, but recently these “moving sales” have been a “move” to the virtual world.

UPDATE: Nope.  According to Carl, they’re only moving next door.

Why risk life and limb at the national chains tomorrow when you can score significant discounts, great customer service – and even free adult beverages – at Fab “Black” Friday in Decatur?

Catherine at The Decatur Minute has done all of the work compiling a smorgasbord of tomorrow’s discounts, so jump on over and check it out!

And just two heads up from yours truly.  First, if you want 25% off at Decatur clothing stores tomorrow, you’ll have to do some morning-ish shopping – 9a-1p.  And secondly, if you get the AJC, there are a bunch of 35% off coupons to Cooks Warehouse tucked into today’s paper.

Know of more Decatur deals for this long weekend?  Comment below!

Wondering why you’re feeling a little extra weight on your shoulders this morning?

It’s because Halloween is over and the “holiday” season has just begun!  Stores are stocking red and green and putting all their shiniest merchandise on the shelves.  That goes for Decatur too.

Over on the Minute, Lyn Menne seems resigned to the noise she will hear from residents as the city’s street decorations start to appear in very early November.

OK, go ahead and vent. Get it out of your system and then just relax and enjoy the beautiful site of holiday decorations in downtown Decatur. Yes, the holiday decorations are going up and yes it’s a bit earlier than we had scheduled. As we’ve explained before, we are a relatively small account for holiday decorating installers so we are given a window of opportunity and then see where we fall in their schedule.

And while some may complain as the “holiday season” dilutes itself by climbing further up the calendar towards the 4th of July each year, few will complain that with November starts the great Decatur tradition of “Terrific Thursdays” (click the the lovely banner at the top of the page for more details).  Stores are open late and offering big ol’ discounts starting tonight!  So get out there are do what the banner says!  “Shop Local. Shop Decatur.”

Full Disclosure: The banner above IS a paid advertisement.  However even if it wasn’t, I’d still be shouting the same thing, as is evidenced by countless posts in previous years!

Here’s the list of participating shops, according to the city’s website…

• Blue Moon – 418 Church St., 404-378-1114, 10 percent off the entire stor and 40 percent off select furniture.
• Decatur Yoga & Pilates – 431 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-377-4899, 10 percent off class cards, yoga wear discounts.
•  Eyeworks of Decatur – 335 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-377-3937, 20 to 50 percent off select frames.
• Fabutique – 335 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-377-6363, 40 to 50 percent off selected items.
• Fleet Feet Sports – 431 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-371-0208, sale on selected merchandise.
• Heliotrope – 248 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-371-0100, 50 to75 percent off select items.
• Kaleidoscope – 252 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-378-1214
• Little Shop of Stories – 133-A E. Court Sq., 404-373-6300, 20 to 50 percent off select books and toys.
• Mingei World Arts – 427 Church St., 404-371-0101, outdoor sals tables and a variety of specials.
• Opus Winds Classical Music – 308 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-370-0507, selected items marked down from 10 to 50 percent.
• Salon Red – 119 E. Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-377-3164, select items on sale July 3 and 5.
• Taste – 416 Church St., 404-370-1863, 10 to 50 percent off select items.
• Twist ‘n’ Scoot – 431-3 W. Ponce de Leon Ave., 404-377-3333, 10 percent off accessories, and a free half helmet with scooter purchase on July 3 and 4.
•  Vivid Boutique – 133 E. Court Sq., 404-371-5181, get a free pair of earrings per $30 of regular-priced merchandise.
• Whit’s End – 431 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. #2, 404-377-3310, 10 percent off Columbia shorts and shirts, Patagonia shoes, Toms shoes and 20 percent off Dockers pants.