MI Retailers Trade Doorbusters for Community Support on Black Friday Weekend

As the holiday retail season officially kicked off with Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, MI retailers reported an encouraging wave of community engagement and steady support throughout the traditional kick-off weekend to holiday selling. From early-morning foot traffic to consistent online engagement through Cyber Monday, reports of strong performances echoed throughout the MI industry, offering a hopeful outlook for the final stretch of Q4.

Instead of leaning solely on doorbusters and limited time-driven messaging, many indie retailers focused on what they do best year-round: serving local musicians with intention and care. As a result, the weekend became less about competing with big-box chaos and more about supporting local musicians.

For Gelb Music in Redwood City, California, Black Friday looked a little different than the norm.

“This year we’re not shouting into the Black Friday chaos,” said Don Frank, general manager. “No flashing graphics, no ‘limited-time’ panic, no gimmicks. Instead, we’re doing something simple: real deals for real musicians, all weekend long. No pressure, no countdowns — just honest pricing, great gear and a shop full of people who actually care about helping players find what they need.”

Gelb Music reported especially strong results on Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, with consistent foot traffic throughout the entire weekend that exceeded the store’s expectations.

“We had wonderful support from our community of musicians,” Frank said. “Small Business Saturday was especially strong as people really came out to support local shops. Cyber Monday was solid across all our online platforms, as well. Foot traffic was steady and encouraging all weekend, with Saturday being the standout day.”

Music Land in Bel Air, Maryland, also leaned into the season with a community-driven approach, launching its holiday campaign titled “It Feels Like Christmas” — a month-long series of promotions, in-store concerts, clinics and special sales designed to support both musicians and local shoppers throughout December.

“While October was slow, we saw a pick up in sales in November and had a healthy Black Friday,” said Larry Noto, president of Music Land. “We launched our 25% off coupon a week early. Everyone was already talking about Black Friday, so we joined the club. With this coupon, we saw an increase in foot traffic and sales.”

Building on that momentum, Music Land is continuing to energize its community well beyond Thanksgiving weekend. The store is rolling out a packed calendar of holiday-focused events.

“Our upcoming events include Paul Reed Smith in concert, clinics, holiday concerts and recitals, our annual Midnight Madness Sale and a new event called ‘An Acoustic Christmas Coffee House,’ which will feature holiday music, product demos and a free coffee truck,” Noto said.

At Mad Music in Chandler, Arizona, a spotlight was placed on Small Business Saturday through a full multi-channel campaign that included social media posts and videos, a website banner and countdown, an email marketing push and in-store signage.

“Each year, we highlight it on our social media with fun engagement posts and in-store signs for our customers,” said Adam Daut, owner. “We also sent out an email campaign to remind everyone about Small Business Saturday and the importance of shopping local during the holiday season.”

The effort paid off. Mad Music reported a strong weekend marked by increased foot traffic and meaningful engagement from both new and returning customers.

“All the excitement we built leading up to the day paid off,” Daut reported. “We saw a strong surge in foot traffic, with customers shopping early for the holidays, asking about lessons and renting instruments.”

In tandem with the awareness campaign, Mad Music officially launched its December Deals on Small Business Saturday, using the momentum to encourage customers to invest in local spaces that support musicians year-round.

“Several customers took advantage of the promotions, including purchases of an electronic drum set and a bass guitar pack that are two major sales for us,” Daut said. “Many visitors shared how excited they were to support a local small business, and a few told us they came in specifically because it was Small Business Saturday.”

For many MI retailers, the weekend also reaffirmed why supporting local music retail truly matters. As retailers move forward into December, overall sentiment for a strong end to Q4 remains optimistic. MI