Iowa City Has Numerous Black Friday Shopping Options

When it comes to Black Friday, shoppers have a variety of Iowa City options – from the comparatively small Sycamore Mall to locally owned businesses offering locally made items.

An Iowa City shop that prides itself on selling local is , with a “Made in America” line of clothing, accessories, kids toys and even locally made cupcakes to take the edge of those hunger pangs during shopping.

“People are coming in and finding a vintage piece of jewelry, then mixing it with items made in the U.S., like a dress or hat and scarf set,” said owner Sheila Davisson, adding that Revival uses local knitters and offers locally made jewelry.

For those who don't like heading downtown due to parking hassles, there will be free downtown parking on Friday at both public meters and parking garages, according to Nick Arnold, executive director of the Iowa City Downtown Association.

Two shops down from Revival on the Iowa City Ped Mall is Raygun, located at 103 E. College St.

The store is known for its t-shirts, mostly American Apparel t-shirts, but it also offers other hip items. For example, Lomography cameras like the Diana camera and Urbanears headphones are among the more sought after gift items, according to Manager Brett Depue.

Owner Cortnie Widen creates and transfers a variety of screen prints – crows, bears, sharks and skulls, among others – onto her inventory, from t-shirts and pillows to posters and hand-bound books.

The newest downtown shop has taken on a number of local artists since it initially opened five years ago, offering a wide variety of handmade gifts in its latest move in July, to 109 S. Linn St. 

“It started really small but has developed into a neat community project,” said Employee Ramona Muse. “It’s the livelihood of a lot of local artists, especially right now for the holidays.”

Besides a selection of vintage clothing and shoes, everyday items with unique touches are for sale, such as notebooks, calendars, dish towels, totes, cutting boards, onesies, hair clips and winter gear, Muse said.

Other downtown Iowa City institutions include and , located on the Pedestrian Mall at 15 S. Dubuque St. and 119 East College St. respectively.

Gift baskets and custom scented products like lotions and bath oils created in the Soap Opera are popular items during the holidays, according to Soap Opera Employee Emily Schulz.

“Whatever your definition of a holiday scent, we’ve got you covered: Woodsy ones, minty ones, fruity ones – all kinds of great stuff,” she said.

“We have every accessory you could ever want, and it’s all handmade rather than being made abroad,” she said.

In the Sycamore Mall, Owner Renee Vogt is one of the few storeowners who will open early Black Friday to coincide with the mall’s expanded holiday hours, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

From Angry Birds to Hawkeye helmets and mugs, green ware is available for painters of all ages wishing to make their own ceramic Christmas gifts, fired on site.

Another kid-magnet store in the – opening during its regular business hours of 10 a.m. – is , specializing in educational and interactive toys like Webkinz, small plush toys attached with a unique code that allows access to the "Webkinz World" and instructions on how to care for the animal, such as feeding and walking.

Like Bonnie’s and , is a locally owned store in the Sycamore Mall that offers thousands of popular gift ideas, like Yankee candles, Snoozies slippers and hair feathers. The is also an ideal location in the mall if you are looking for a wide variety of models and games.