The holiday shopping season was in full swing on Friday as Bend residents and a few out-of-town visitors took to the downtown streets to hunt for deals, support local businesses and enjoy the festive atmosphere.

They were greeted with colorful window displays with Christmas themes. Many clutched bags of gifts. A few sipped hot cocoa and coffee to stave off the bitter cold — the mercury never climbed above 34 degrees.

Others chased wide-eyed children gleefully roaming between shop displays.

Black Friday is typically when holiday shoppers cram into the big box stores in the pre-dawn hours to scoop up bargain-priced holiday gifts. But many on Friday chose to skip the mall lines and spend their money downtown. Small Business Saturday is usually the day for buying local, but a few wanted to get an early start.

“Christmas is coming up. My sister is visiting from Seattle, and she likes to visit all the cute boutique shops downtown,” said Connie Tiplady, a retired teacher. “There are tons of things (to browse). We are up and down the street, shopping for others.”

Tiplady said she prefers to shop local rather than online for convenience and as a way to give back to the community.

“I love the stores in Bend, and I love shopping downtown. It’s easy; it’s effortless, and I like to support the local businesses,” she said. “The shops are great, and the people who own the shops are great. I prefer to get things here and then mail it.”

Business owners said they were grateful for the support from local residents and out-of-town visitors who were considering local businesses instead of buying online.

“Things are looking pretty darn good,” said Rebecca Chase, owner of Lone Crow Bungalow, a shop that specializes in vintage products, holiday gifts and nostalgia. “We started the season off quite well, and I anticipate this going right to Christmas Day.”

Lone Crow Bungalow was packed on Friday with shoppers browsing gift options, sniffing candles and admiring cuckoo clocks. Ornaments are selling well, said Chase, as well as nutcrackers, sleigh bells and snow lanterns.

“I try to bring in things you just won’t find anywhere else,” said Chase. “I work hard to create an experience in here.”

A few doors down at Leapin’ Lizards Toy Co., children were checking out the latest puzzles, games, books and toys. Store owner Suzy Reininger said an important aspect of buying local is to help business owners hire local staff and keep money in Bend where it can recirculate in the economy.

“I take care of our staff, and we also have local booksellers and craft sellers, so we are carrying items that are from here,” said Reininger.

Crafts, puzzles, building sets and games focused on science, technology, engineering and math are popular this year, said Reininger. Generations of families have been coming into the shop, she said, both locally and from around the country. She’s even had a few customers from Europe.

“England, Scotland, Italians. Yeah, people are traveling,” she said.

One shopper, 12-year-old Brooklyn Hertz, a sixth-grade student at Pacific Crest Middle School, said she enjoys browsing boutiques and is on the lookout for jewelry and things for her room.

“Sometimes I like Christmas stuff, but I also like things I can use all year,” she said.

Rachel Hertz, Brooklyn’s mother, described downtown Bend as “special and magical” and a good place to bring visitors.

“If we are going out shopping, this is where we usually come,” said Rachel Hertz.

Shannon Monihan, the executive director of the Downtown Bend Business Association, said the number of visitors this year could be less compared to a year ago because of the lack of snow — the white stuff can help draw visitors from out of the area, she said.

But Monihan believes that even if there are fewer visitors from outside the area, Bend residents will keep shop owners busy this season. Shopping downtown helps boost Bend’s economy and has a multiplier effect, as the money earned here can then be spent by shop owners in other Bend businesses, she said.

“The money isn’t going out to some national brand. It’s staying local. We need their support on shop local day, this Saturday, in addition to all the days of the year,” said Monihan.

At Modern Games, a shop in Bend’s Box Factory that specializes in puzzles and board games, co-owner Peter Askew said business has been brisk over the past week as customers begin to fill out their holiday wish lists.

Many are asking for family games that can be played over the holidays, he said. A popular game this season is Cascadia, which reflects the Pacific Northwest.

Some shoppers are looking for games they can play over Zoom with relatives in other cities and states.

“The tools are evolving to make playing across distances even easier,” said Askew.

Askew said big box stores and online retailers are the biggest competitors because they can offer lower prices, but he adds that Bend residents are good about supporting local businesses.

“A lot of folks know you can get something for 5% less on Amazon, but they are willing to support local businesses in spite of that because they are supportive of the local community. It’s great to live in a place that has a communitywide understanding of that.”

Askew also mentioned the advantages of going to a specialty store that can help with recommendations for products.

“We can talk to someone, ask them what they like to play and recommend games that might be a good fit for them. We think that is a good service we provide,” he said.

So far this holiday shopping season sales are higher compared to a year ago, said Askew, and on Friday his shop was busy with customers mulling their gift options. A few were already engaged in role-playing games on a table in one corner.

“We’re excited,” said Askew. “We think it’s going to be a good holiday season.”