Nov. 28--Denice Johnson got a jump on the holiday shopping season Wednesday by picking up a few gifts for family members and employees of her business, NeeCee's, a downtown women's clothing store.

"I'm at Gainan's right now, and I've already been to Marcasa," said Johnson, who could only be caught up to on her cell phone.

While thousands of shoppers took advantage of 4 a.m. door-buster specials on Black Friday, Johnson had a more laidback pace at NeeCee's, the store formerly known as Snow Country.

"What we've found for us is that Friday is a fabulous day. People tend to go out to the box stores early in the morning for bargains," Johnson said. "Then they sometimes come downtown to have lunch, and they'll start to browse our store and enjoy themselves at a slower pace."

Johnson said NeeCee's and other downtown retailers provide a relaxing antidote to the hectic pace of malls and box stores.

"We have great gifts, but it's not the same frenzy as when they're trying to get some limited edition item that goes off sale at 9 a.m.," Johnson said.

"Of course, it's a great weekend for us," she said. "We have our parade, and a lot of families come downtown. The husbands might hear about something that their wives saw."

Johnson said the name change (NeeCee was her childhood nickname) has been a surprising success. "We're getting new and younger customers who had lived here for years and discovered us," she said. The former name sometimes confused customers who thought Snow Country sold sporting goods, Johnson said.

The day after Thanksgiving is traditionally a big day for retailing. But some merchants say Black Friday isn't necessarily their best day during the Christmas season. Some point to the period from the final Saturday before Christmas, Dec. 21 this year, through Christmas Eve, as the busiest time of the season.

"We love procrastinators," Johnson said. "We take good care of them."

With the nation's economy teetering on recession, retail analysts are predicting a trying holiday shopping season in the wake of economic problems triggered by losses in the stock market, mounting debt and thousands of home foreclosures. Local retailers say they're thankful that, so far, Montana has escaped the worst effects of a slow economy.

When money gets tight, people tend to focus more on entertaining at home rather than going out on the town. Nancy Culbertson, owner of the Copper Colander, a kitchen store at 2440 Grant Road, says the nesting trend could benefit her business.