GRANDVILLE, Mich. — The calm before the storm has settled over RiverTown Crossings mall, but that quiet won’t last long. By sunrise Friday, thousands of shoppers are expected to pour through the Grandville shopping center in search of Black Friday deals.
Behind the scenes, mall officials are working around the clock to ensure everything runs smoothly for one of the busiest shopping days of the year.
Inside RiverTown Crossings, preparations are already underway as Marketing Manager Imani Webster says her team is starting with safety as their top priority.
"Well, it's been great that we actually have like veteran team members here that are very aware and abreast of what we need to be doing. So just highlighting the importance of safety," Webster said.
The planning starts long before Black Friday with constant communication across the entire mall, from public safety teams and parking patrols to every tenant inside the building.
"We have so many meetings with our actual public safety team… they let us know like, 'Hey, we have these things going on,' and we want to ensure that at the end of the day, everybody's ready to go. We just want it to be smooth open transitions. Everybody's safe, nobody's scared," Webster said.
While mall hours will run from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Webster says some stores will be flipping their lights on well before sunrise, hoping to catch those early-bird shoppers.
"Bath and Body Works will be opening at 6a.m.,Wetzels Pretzels at 5a.m., Aeropostale at 5 a.m., Barnes and Noble around 8 a.m. Plenty of stores throughout here will be opening for the Black Friday sales," Webster said.
Inside the mall, local vendors like Robinson's Popcorn are gearing up for what will be their first Black Friday inside a major mall.
"We are popping like crazy to get prepared for this day. Wrapping up gift baskets, popcorn tins, getting our grinder ready… we make lattes and we make bagel sandwiches. We're trying to get everything prepared for our customers as they go on this exciting journey toward Christmas," said Ben Robinson, owner of Robinson's Popcorn.
Robinson says the shop has seen immense growth this year, and Black Friday brings both excitement and nerves.
"We went from a regular of 3,000 customers a year… we're already over 15,000 customers… We're excited… and we're nervous… but truly excited to see what unfolds this Black Friday," Robinson said.
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