If you like enjoying your entire Thanksgiving, sleeping in the next day and shopping locally, here are our alternate Milwaukee Black Friday ideas.
Instead of chasing the same doorbusters as everyone else, here's what you can do to still get great deals and the best gifts while supporting Milwaukee businesses on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.
Celebrate the other Record Store Day
Shop Milwaukee's great independent record stores for great sales, deals and special Record Store Day releases on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday. Here's a list of special releases for Black Friday and a list of the Milwaukee record stores participating.
#BuyBlack Friday at Bronzeville Collective
This year, you should #BuyBlack and #ShopSmall with Bronzeville Collective's series of holiday sales from Black Friday to Cyber Monday. On Friday, enjoy sales from all its anchor brands: Papyrus & Charms, FlyBlooms by Funky Fly FlowerChild, Distinctive Designs by Tomira and from Jasmine Barmore, the artist in residence.
Other Friday specials include: a free tote grab bag to the first 40 shoppers with a purchase over $25, a free glass of your favorite wine as you shop and more.
Shop Milwaukee Startups
Startup Milwaukee's TANGIBLE program is celebrating the launch of the Nest Pop-up shop on Small Business Saturday. This new retail establishment run by Marquette students features products from local entrepreneurs from throughout the community and some who have participated in past TANGIBLE events. Most importantly, all will be offering great gifts.
The shop will open for Small Business Saturday at 10 a.m. and there is a celebration until noon, however the store will remain open until 6 p.m.
Here are the companies participating in the pop-up shop:
- Green Earth Terrarium
- Zyn
- Satori Food Project
- Vida Coffee
- Dawn's Yummy Delights
- Maria Tirabassi, Chicago Artist
- MKE Shotski
- Cream City Caramels
- Everything Goes Media
Drink Beer
Drinking is always a reliable backup plan in Milwaukee—and Black Friday (or should we say blackout Friday?) is no exception. In 2012, Lakefront Brewery started a Milwaukee tradition when they released a specialty beer on the day after Thanksgiving. This year, 33 breweries and other businesses across the city will have special releases available on Black Friday. Here's a complete list of the events.
Give back on Good Karma Friday
On Black Friday, some Milwaukee shops are participating in Good Karma Friday where a portion of the proceeds of your purchase go to select charities.
Participating stores include:
Stroll around the Third Ward
Almost all the shops in the Third Ward are participating in Small Business Saturday. Skip the mall and walk the sidewalks instead to support these local businesses and find something unique. Here's a list of all the stores participating and the deals they're offering.
Support local businesses on Small Business Saturday
Shop all the other small and local shops in Milwaukee on Saturday. Here's a list of shops with links to any details about their deals:
- Waxwing
- Permanant Baggage
- Milwaukee Blacksmith
- Brass Bell Music Store
- Swoon
- Sparrow Collective
- URSA
- Plume
- Dandy
This list is just a start, we recommend scoping out all the shops in your neighborhood on Saturday.
Get generous on Giving Tuesday
Right after Cyber Monday is one shopping holiday you might not know about—Giving Tuesday, a day to make donations and give to charity. If you're feeling generous, or would like to donate on someone's behalf as a gift, consider giving to one of the many great Milwaukee charity organizations and non-profits. (We're one of them, by the way.)