Best Black Friday Deals in West Des Moines? Maybe Buying Nothing

With the big box stores such as Walmart and Target moving Black Friday up by hours -- and into Thankgsiving Day -- Friday also marks the international “holiday” Buy Nothing Day.

Whether to buy or not to buy is, of course, your choice. If you’re on the side of sane shopping, though, you might consider a number of store-free activities in West Des Moines on Friday.

And this Saturday is Small Business Saturday 2012, so you may want to show some local small businesses your financial love.

Here are some activities in West Des Moines for Friday:

Organizers for the Ninth Annual Great Cookie Walk of West Des Moines, which takes place Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon at the West Des Moines Christian Church, are still looking for volunteers to help set up for the saturday event, when thousands of cookies created and decorated by some of the community’s best bakers will be offered for sale, with proceeds benefiting the Youth Justice Initiative of West Des Moines.

If you’ve got the day off, get outside and walk off that turkey dinner. This could be one of the last chances this winter to walk the 3-mile Raccoon River Park trail around Blue Heron Lake. Now that trees have shed their leaves, chances of seeing wildlife are great. The National Weather Service forecasts a breezy, crisp day with a high near 40, perfect for a vigorous walk.

And here, scattered around town, are just a few of the small businesses in West Des Moines that you can help support:

If you’ve got kids on your list, start with Angie’s Kids Zone. Located on Fifth Street in Historic Valley Junction, Angie’s sells  wooden toys, games, dollhouses, stuffed animals, puzzles, children’s fruniture and kid-sized playsets and other stuff just for fun.

While you’re strolling up and down Fifth Street in Historic Valley Junction, be sure to stop into Wicker and the Works. There’s so much more than just home furnishings in owner owner Victoria Veiock’s Valley Junction anchor.

If you have hard-to-buy-for and folks with eclectic tastes on your list, one ofour best bets for something unique is Aokay Antiques/Atomicblond Midcentury Modern Gallery Loft. Housed in two locations, it is one of the cornerstones of the Historic Valley Junction shopping district. The collection ranges from rare memorabilia to unique ephemera. Vintage and period clothing is sold across the street.

There are lots of great small businesses outside of Valley Junction. Be sure to put West Glen Town Center on your list.

if you’re thinking ahead to the centerpiece for your next holiday dinner, stop by West Glen Town Center and visit with Saley Nong or one of her associates at Magnolia 105 by Divine Flowers.

If you’ve got someone on your list who’s vowing to do the RAGBRAI bicycle ride across Iowa, include Rasmussen Bike Shop in your small business shopping trip plan. The store has been an official RAGBRAI bike shop for years and if they don’t know the answer to bicycling questions, they probably aren’t good questions.