BDN A sign on High Street in Ellsworth advertising discounted merchandise on Black Friday. A lot of retail stores started the day with substantial discounts to lure in customers. (Bangor Daily News/Gabor Degre) Buy Photo

ELLSWORTH, Maine — Hancock County retailers reported generally good sales on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving.

More than one, however, said that if things were a little slow, it’s likely because county residents headed to Bangor on Friday morning to get major shopping done and to take advantage of post-Thanksgiving sales.

Nick Tripp, manager of the Renys on High Street, said things picked up at the Ellsworth store as the day progressed.

“It’s been quite busy, especially this afternoon,” he said.

Tripp said the store opened at 8 a.m., an hour earlier than normal, and had extra staff on duty. He said things were not especially busy Friday morning, most likely because people wanted to shop in Bangor early.

But as sales picked up, he said, toys and other gift-type items started going out the door the fastest.

“People are definitely doing their Christmas shopping,” Tripp said.

At the Ellsworth Wal-Mart Supercenter, which opened in September after occupying a smaller location nearby for 16 years, a manager said they were busy on Friday. She and another manager declined further comment, however, saying they need permission from Wal-Mart headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., before they can speak to the media.

In Bar Harbor, employees at two popular year-round businesses said there seemed to be more shoppers in town than on a typical weekday outside the busy summer tourist season.

Brittany Slabach, assistant manager at Cadillac Mountain Sports on Cottage Street, said Friday seemed more like a weekend day with the business they had. She said several of their customers took advantage of the gift-wrapping service the store offers.

“There’s been a lot more [customers] than I expected,” Slabach said. “Definitely, there’s a holiday spirit going on.”

Sherman’s Bookstore on Main Street had approximately twice as many customers on Friday than it usually has that day of the week, said one employee. The store did not open early or have extra staff on duty. She said they just move faster when they have more customers.

“We had a very busy day,” said Laurie Cote, a sales associate at Sherman’s. “The rain didn’t seem to dampen things at all.”

In Bucksport, reviews of Black Friday were mixed. Andy Lacher, owner of BookStacks, said he had about twice as much business on Friday as he had on other Fridays this month. He said he is having a sale in which people who buy more than one book get the second book at half price.

“Absolutely,” he said of sales Friday at his Main Street business. “It’s been pretty crazy.”

Across the street, however, things have been less so. Patti Bunker, manager of Rosen’s Department Store, said business there was average. Bangor is just 20 miles away, she said, so many area residents head there the morning of Black Friday.

“Unfortunately, I wouldn’t say it’s been crazy,” Bunker said. “Sometimes, the day after Black Friday is better for us.”

Back in Ellsworth, Tammy Deckers, owner of the Main Street toy store Four the Fun of It, said her business on Friday was “fantastic,” but it won’t be enough to keep her doors open. She said she plans to close her retail location for good on Dec. 30.

Deckers plans to keep the business open online. Already, she has been selling toys online through her store’s Web site, www.4funtoys.com. She plans to continue offering other services such as birthday club membership and free gift wrapping and hopes to maintain some sort of pickup location in Ellsworth so her customers will not have to pay shipping fees.

“We’ve been amazed,” Deckers said of the support she has received from customers. The store is having a 35 percent off sale, which helps generate foot traffic, and people have been expressing their frustration at local businesses closing down. Austin Furniture, also located on Main Street, has announced plans to close and has a large real estate company sign displayed in its window. Earlier this year Shoegazer, a shoe store on State Street, shut its doors for good.

“It’s the economy, but it’s also the discount stores in town,” Deckers said, referring not just to the national companies but also Maine-based chains that can sell for less than individually owned specialty stores.

Deckers said she plans to sell most everything in her Main Street store, including display racks and train tables.

“We’ll keep having sales right up through the end,” she said.