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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 2018)
East Oregonian Page 9A OFF PAGE ONE RETAILERS: The phrase ‘Black Friday’ was popularized by police in Philadelphia Friday, November 23, 2018 Continued from 1A eration owners of the busi- ness, which started in 1948 — predating the Black Fri- day craze. The phrase “Black Friday,” as it pertained to post-Thanksgiving shopping, was popularized in Philadel- phia in the 1960s by police in the city who dreaded try- ing to manage crowds of hol- iday shoppers coming in to the city. By the 1980s it had spread nationwide, and retail- ers had come up with a more positive connotation for the name by noting that the prof- its from holiday shopping put them “in the black” finan- cially for the year. Beverly Harris, manager of the Hermiston Walmart Supercenter, said Walmart has officially shifted the start of its special deals from Fri- day morning to Thursday night in response to customer demand. “Thursday is just a gigan- tic day for us,” she said. She said as businesses have spread out their biggest holiday deals, it helps cus- tomers save money. Instead of choosing which store to hit first on Friday morning and possibly missing out on the best deals elsewhere, they can be there when the doors open at multiple locations. Harris, who has worked for Walmart for 13 years, said there is also less con- gestion in the store because many customers are ordering things online instead. “It won’t be like you saw it back in the day when we opened at 4:00 or 5:00 (a.m.) and people were waiting in line outside the doors and run through the doors,” she said. While some see the hol- iday shopping frenzy the weekend of Thanksgiv- ing as a negative display of commercialism, Harris ref- erenced Walmart’s motto of saving people money so they can live better. “Walmart is proud to be able to provide an opportu- nity for people to give gifts they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford,” she said. Small Business Saturday While retailers of all sizes often offer deals the weekend after Thanksgiving, small businesses have been getting an extra focus over the past few years as Small Business Saturday has caught on. Goss Family Jewlers, located on Hermiston’s Main Street, is one of the small businesses participating in Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, with 20 percent off jewelry. James Staff photo by Jade McDowell Darlene Clark, left, Wyatt Johnson, Randy Smith and Carla Hoyt of Smitty’s Ace Hardware in Hermiston stand under a banner at the store proclaiming Small Busi- ness Saturday. Goss said he doesn’t usually see a big rush the weekend after Thanksgiving, because people tend to be traveling out of town for the four-day weekend. “We get a few, but I think people go up to the Tri-Cit- ies,” he said. But because he does cus- tom work, overall he does see an increase around the holidays from people who are interested in a unique gift for their loved ones. Elk ivory jewelry is especially popular, he said. Kathy Baker of Fun Fash- ions Boutique in Stanfield said she is doing Black Fri- day and Small Business Sat- urday sales. She said in the past she has seen a definite uptick in business the week- end after Thanksgiving. But she also knows that a lot of local shoppers head straight to the bigger cities that week- end instead. “People think they are going to find better deals in the Tri-Cities,” she said. Sometimes they will, she acknowledged, but they won’t always find the same personal touch of customer service, or unique items. People come to Fun Fash- ions Boutique for the line of Christian T-shirts Baker carries, for example, that wouldn’t be found at the mall. Debbie Pedro, director of the Greater Hermiston Area Chamber of Commerce, said for Small Business Satur- day people should be able to find out about plenty of great deals by checking out the Facebook pages of local businesses, and radio and newspaper advertisements. “It’s really exciting to see each one of our businesses really participate,” she said. Pedro put in a plug for shopping local year-round, but particularly during the holiday season. It’s an oppor- tunity for people to support their friends and neighbors, she said, and make sure that money continues to circulate throughout the community. “There is an opportunity to buy just about anything you need right here in Herm- iston,” she said. Hermiston will have even more shopping options once the long-awaited Ranch & Home opens on South High- way 395. A manager at the Hermiston store confirmed on Monday the business is planning to open in mid-De- cember, and job listings are prominently displayed on its website. COUNCIL: I & E Construction incentives to include property tax reduction Continued from 1A the lease starting. • Makad Corp. must pro- vide a bond assuring com- pletion of the construction and payment of material and labor costs. After meeting behind closed doors at the meet- ing, the council eliminated an incentives package that included civil and environ- mental engineering work, water and sewer connec- tion fee waivers, and up to a 50 percent permit fee reduction. While the council didn’t discuss why it had signifi- cantly altered or eliminated key provisions of the lease, Makad Corp.’s develop- ment history in Eastern Ore- gon includes a power plant project that got wrapped up in a lawsuit and other proj- ects that never got off the ground. The council previously agreed to a 30-year land lease to Makad Corp. for a data center, but that project hasn’t started construction either. There has been public opposition to both the air- port hotel and the West- gate housing project, but the apartment complex had a lot easier time passing the coun- cil’s muster. The council paved the way for I & E Construction of Clackamas to acquire the 9.25-acre property from the city to build more than 200 apartment units. The city valued the prop- erty at $231,250, but I & E won’t have to pay the city any cash as long as it com- pletes the project. As an additional incentive, I & E will also get a 50 percent dis- count on its system develop- ment charges. But the unique incentive to the deal is a provision that could reduce I & E’s prop- erty tax expenses through 2023. The payment formula is based on the amount of vacant units divided by the number of completed units, but payments are only acti- vated if the occupancy rate is below 95 percent. The incentive only applies to property taxes owed to the city. Doing some quick math, Councilor Paul Chalmers, the Umatilla County direc- tor of assessment and tax- ation, calculated that I & E would be assessed approxi- mately $380,000 in property taxes once the project was complete. The city would lay claim to a little less than one-third of that amount. The deal earned a rebuke from Pendleton resident Larry Platek, who argued that I & E should pay for “the dirt” and all of its prop- erty taxes, especially when others haven’t gotten similar incentives. “You’re not giving me money back on my taxes,” he said. “But you’re willing to give (I & E owner Karl Ivanov) money back on his taxes because he can’t rent his apartments.” But the council would go on to unanimously approve the land deal, tipping their hand when multiple coun- cilors defended it against Platek’s criticisms, citing the boost it would give to the city’s tight housing market. Pendleton Mayor John Turner said the develop- ment could help existing residents and incoming res- idents find a decent place to live, in turn increasing enrollment in the Pendle- ton School District and par- ticipation in commerce and “the life of the city.” “There’s a lot more to this than what he’s paying us or not paying the city for ‘the dirt,’” he said. I & E intends to build the apartment complex in multi- ple phases over three years. The complex is projected to include 72 two-bedroom, two-bathroom units, 36 stu- dio units, 36 one-bedroom, one-bathroom units, 36 three-bedroom, three-bath- room units, and 24 two-bed- room, one-bathroom units. Floor plans range from 549 square feet to 1,204 square feet. ——— Contact Antonio Sierra at asierra@eastoregonian. com or 541-966-0836. HOLIDAY TRADITIONS BEGIN WITH THE YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS! Let Our Holiday Inserts save you a trip! Black Friday Specials • Home for the Holidays ads • Winter Sports Schedule • Real Estate Holiday Guide • Community Event Calendars • Gift ideas, coupons, decorating tips and more! www.eastoregonian.com/eo/subscribe Be a part of the giving by becoming a Winterfest Sponsor. Contact Emily Smith at 541-278-2627 about Sponsorship information, your help is greatly appreciated in making this wonderful event a success. Saturday DECEMBER 8 th , 2018 Family Day | 10am-2pm Friday DECEMBER 7 th , 2018 Evening Gala | 6:00 pm 21 or older | $40 EACH FREE ADMISSION tickets sold via presale at SAHPENDLETON.ORG/WINTERFEST or by calling 541-278-2627 Sponsored by WIldhorse Resort & Casino • Lunch with Santa & his elves • Prime Rib and Salmon Dinner • Make ornaments & playdough • Live and Silent Auctions • Write letters to Santa • Music, Dancing, full cash bar, table games gift shop, wreaths, and swags for sale BOTH EVENTS WILL BE LOCATED AT THE Pendleton Convention Center For more information or to purchase tickets, contact St. Anthony Hospital Foundation at 541-278-2627 Proceeds benefi t St. Anthony Hospital Foundation, Cason’s Place Grief Support for Children & Families, and Pioneer relief nursery. More information is available at SAHPENDLETON.ORG/WINTERFEST
