At Eastland Mall, Black Friday celebrated with more than sales

HOLIDAYS AT EASTLAND

Extended hours:

Black Friday: 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Dec. 10: Noon to 5 p.m.

Dec. 16: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Dec. 17: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Dec. 18: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Dec. 19: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Dec. 20: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Dec. 21: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Dec. 22: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Dec. 23: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Christmas Eve: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Santa's Workshop: Customers can visit Santa from Nov. 30 through Christmas Eve. Hours are 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 3 p.m. and 3:30 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Visit ishopeastlandmall.com for more information.

BLOOMINGTON — While online retail and earlier sales have shifted Black Friday away from its origins as a one-day-only extravaganza, shoppers craving that sense of occasion still have some options.

One of those is Bloomington's Eastland Mall, and owner CBL Properties would like to stress that the charms of the holiday shopping season extend beyond deals.

"It's about the sights, smells and sounds of the holiday season to get you into that more festive state of mind," said Stacey Keating, vice president of corporate communications for the company.

Stores will be offering a wide range of promotions through Christmas Eve , she said. Santa Claus will visit periodically starting Nov. 30.

Although a lot of national retailers already have already kicked off the sales that once followed Thanksgiving, Keating said the mall also hosts locally owned retailers who offer things specific and unique to the market, which will draw more shoppers.

An estimated 182 million people are expected to shop in-store and online from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday this year, including about 130.7 million people on Black Friday, according to data from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights and Analytics.

This represents an overall increase of 15.7 million shoppers since last year and is the highest estimate since NRF began tracking this data six years ago.

“Retailers have been preparing for months for this occasion,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a news release. “They are stocked and ready to help customers find the gifts and other items they want at great prices during the entire holiday season.”

Contact Drew Zimmerman at 309-820-3276. Follow Drew on Twitter:

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