Bella Friday sales mixed

Huntington Beach stores reported mixed results from Black Friday, traditionally the biggest shopping day of the year.

Two major retailers at Bella Terra had successful store closing sales over the weekend; Mervyn’s is now shuttered, and Shoe Pavilion expects to close Sunday — or as soon as Friday, if inventory runs out.

Discounts at the off-price shoe retailer are currently 70% off for most shoes, and 90% off sandals.

Huntington Surf & Sport Manager Charlotte Morrow said clothing racks that were placed outside the store were a big draw for shoppers at the Bella Terra location.

“We did really well,” she said. “Our sales were about the same as last year.”

In today’s economy, even consistent sales are a rarity.

The top sellers at the retailer were children’s winter clothes, Morrow said.

Everything outside the store was 50% off, and everything inside was 20% off.

The store opened at 8 a.m., but a few shoppers who were standing outside snuck in early when the doors were opened to put merchandise outside, Morrow said.

Other Bella Terra retailers weren’t so fortunate.

Alyssa Swanson, a sales associate at the Little Blossom boutique, said sales were barely above that of a normal day.

The shop didn’t offer special discounts that day; it stuck with its usual markdowns of 10% to 60%.

Lynette Le, manager of the adjacent Madison Bleu boutique, said sales weren’t extraordinary, but they were a bit up.

Anne Cannan, vice president of the Designs of the Interior high-end home furnishings and décor store at Bella Terra, said their sales were completely flat — despite offering 50% discounts on the entire store for the whole weekend.

But the National Retail Foundation found that shoppers spent 7.2% more during this year’s Black Friday weekend than last year.

Each shopper nationwide spent an estimated $372.57, compared to $347.55 last year.

The hottest items included high-definition or plasma televisions, GPS systems, digital cameras, video games and systems, and cashmere sweaters, the federation found.

To view the full results, visit nrf.com.

CANDICE BAKER may be reached at (714) 966-4631 or at [email protected].