Black Friday is the traditional start of the holiday shopping season and while big retailers offered up major deals to boost sales, local business owners are hoping to rely more so on the unique charm they say only a mom and pop shop can bring.

On the six mile stretch of Magazine street in Uptown New Orleans, the lack of lines is part of the allure this Black Friday.

"I was definitely avoiding Veterans, the interstate, and Canal Street and so headed to Magazine," said shopper Leigh Moss.

And on this unofficial main street of mom and pop shops, the historically big shopping day remains a mixed bag.  Sales are up for some, but certainly not all.

"It's a little down from last year, I'm going to say mostly because of the economy," said James Dellostritto, manager of the Magic Box toy store.

But for Diane Lundeen, president of the Magazine Street Merchants Association, and owner of a catch-all pet shop, this year's Black Friday brought with it something she has never seen before.

"For the first time ever in the seven and half years in business, I had people waiting on my door when I opened," said Lundeen.

While the scene proved to be a comforting one, Lundeen says she unsure why or how it happened.

"I can't tell you, but I'm really delighted."

Local shop owners say the nation's economic slump has left their businesses in a slump too, some unsure if Black Friday will be enough to pull their sales out of the red and into a profit.

"A lot people are kind of scaling back on the Christmas," said Dellostritto.

And for some shoppers, that meant taking to the mall in hopes of scoring deep discounts at major retailers even if they had to wait hours in line.

But for others, avoiding the malls is less about dollars and sense, and more about what makes sense locally.

"Even if it's a couple of dollars more, then you just feel like the money is in New Orleans, sticking with somebody dedicated to the city," said Leigh Moss.

And for many shoppers, buying locally is all about finding that specialty item you may not be able to find anywhere else.

"You're able to pick up things nobody else will have or very few people will have," said Teri Stricklend.

Next Friday marks the annual Merriment on Magazine give-away, where small businesses owners will raffle away prizes to shoppers.  You can register for the free raffle by filing out a form at any member store of the Magazine Street Merchants Association.