► On the record

“Refinancing carried us through the last recession, but it won’t be there in this one…Consumer behavior is hard to predict around the holidays, but over the coming year I think we’re due for a correction in both finance and retail, in which both sectors become leaner.”

– Scott Bailey, regional economist for the Washington State Employment Security Department

Reporter's Notebook

The Black Friday Strategy

As much as I love shopping, Black Friday seems like a migraine in waiting.

But it’s a great opportunity for shoppers and retailers, said Jan Teague, president and chief executive officer of the Olympia-based Washington Retail Association. The key for both is strategy.

For retailers it means careful merchandising and marketing and specialized customer service. For shoppers, it means making a shopping list, rising early and teamwork. The reward? Saving more than half on holiday gifts, Teague said.

For about five years, she has developed her Black Friday strategy with family members. They make gift lists and compare prices online, then hit the stores at 4:30 a.m., wearing four layers of clothes and waiting an hour before doors open.

Inside, one person grabs a cart while the others spread out. The team fills it while the cart-driver waits in line for the register.

“You’ve got to go with the right spirit,” Teague said. “You have to have patience with the lines.”

Teague recommends starting with toy and electronics stores, since they run out of stock first. Then hit the clothing stores.

“If you’ve missed the discounts and the items are gone, move on,” she said. “You can come back for it with a coupon…You can probably (visit) three stores before everything is picked over by 11 a.m.”

That’s when she finds a grocery store for coffee, donuts and a deal on poinsettias.

Read more about the holiday retail outlook in Friday’s VBJ. Also, Just Business will not be sent out as usual on Friday because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Not to worry, it will resume on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

--Charity Thompson can be reached at cthompson@vbjusa.com

Business around the Northwest

Stillaguamish Tribe’s Angel of the Winds Casino to triple size in December, Snohomish County Business Journal

Office parties can be risky business, Portland Daily Journal of Commerce

State launches video to help businesses with tax planning, South Sound Business Examiner blog

► On the record

“I tell you, the things I do for Arch Miller.”

- Vancouver Mayor Royce Pollard, being outfitted in a chef’s jacket and toque for a pizza dough toss at a celebration of the Northwest Culinary Institute, the renamed culinary division of the International Air and Hospitality Academy. Miller founded IAHA.

Reporter's Notebook

THE CREATIVE ECONOMY

I think we’ve all been doing a lot of reading about the economy lately. But recently, it was an article about art’s role in Washington’s economic development that caught my eye. In it, author Valerie Grigg Devis of the Department of Community Trade and Economic Development argues that it’s entrepreneurs and artists who make an essential contribution to the economy.

They are the ones who create something new – and that is what grows an economy. We spend a great deal of money on art without even thinking about it – on music, clothing, home furnishings, movies, books. Many of us travel to legendary cities like Paris and New York largely for the theater, architecture, museums and arts festivals. Even when we travel for a sporting event, Grigg Devis writes, we’re watching a team supported by another team of designers who created the stadium, uniforms, logo, mascot and merchandise.

Nationally, according to a recent study by Americans for the Arts, just the nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in economic activity, creating 5.7 million full-time equivalent jobs, $104.2 billion in household income and $9.1 billion in state government tax revenues.

In Washington, arts-related jobs make up about 2 percent of the jobs in the state. Doesn’t seem like much. But the latest Creative Vitality Index, published by the Washington State Arts Commission, shows that Washington’s participation and employment in the arts sector was 26 percent higher than the national average in 2006. But while Southwest Washington’s creative vitality grew 42 percent from 2003 to 2006, it was still 23 percent weaker than the national average. An updated report is due out later this year.

I’d love to see this region support the local arts sector to boost the economy. Southwest Washington has some outstanding arts-related businesses, and spending your dollars at them this holiday season keeps money where we need it most – locally.

-Megan Patrick-Vaughn can be reached at mpatrick@vbjusa.com

Business around the Northwest

Andersen Construction appeals fine by Oregon OSHA following accident at condo work site, Portland Daily Journal of Commerce

Weak retail growth predicted for the holidays, Snohomish County Business Journal

Can you bank on your bank or credit union?, Coast River Business Journal

► On the record

“I honestly said, ‘If I have to go to work and talk about chicken breast and broccoli, I might have to kill myself.’ ”

– Letha Brandenburg, who has owned The Healthy Weigh in Vancouver for 18 years and developed weight loss workshops combining nutrition and exercise with psychology