WESTCHESTER & FAIRFIELD COUNTY
BUSINESS JOURNALS
NOVEMBER 30, 2015 | VOL. 51, No. 48
4 | ROBOTS AT WORK YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS
55 | FACES & PLACES westfaironline.com
Some stores skipping Thanksgiving sales BY EVAN FALLOR AND REECE ALVAREZ
E
ach year, it appears Black Friday becomes more like Black Thursday. Thanksgiving diners shovel in the last bites of pumpkin pie and zoom out to their favorite stores, which have opened closer and closer to turkey time, then brave long lines and cold temperatures in the hopes of taking advantage of slashed prices. It’s a strategy that has been targeting the bargain hunter for quite some time, but this year saw an increased number of big-box stores shutter their doors on Thanksgiving. Costco, national clothing retailers DSW, Nordstrom, T.J. Maxx and Marshalls and home improvement stores The Home Depot and Lowe’s were among those that shuttered their doors on Thanksgiving Day, in an effort to allow employees to spend the holiday with their families and friends. Shoe retailer DSW, which operates stores in Yonkers, White Plains, Port Chester and Mohegan Lake, did not open until 7 a.m. Friday. “While many retail stores will be opening
for business on Thanksgiving Day, this year we continue the DSW tradition of keeping ours closed,” DSW CEO Michael R. MacDonald said in a statement. “Family time is extremely important to us, and we want our associates to enjoy the holiday with their loved ones.” Nordstrom, the Seattle-based high-end clothing retailer, has closed on Thanksgiving Day for “as long as anyone can remember,” said spokesman Dan Evans Jr. The company, which debuted in 1901, operates a store at The Westchester in White Plains that did not open until 8 a.m. Friday. Evans said the company uses Thanksgiving to implement its winter holiday decorations in stores, though its website remained open for business. “Customers really like this approach, they’ve told us over the years,” Evans said. Owned by Simon Property Group, The Westchester was closed on the holiday and opened at 7 a.m. for Black Friday, while The Galleria at White Plains, also operated by Simon, opened at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving and closed at 1 a.m. on Friday before reopening again five hours later. » Thanksgiving, page 8 Staffer Danielle Renda practices for the upcoming shopping season.
2016 county budget cuts spell uncertain future for nonpro�its BY EVAN FALLOR Evan@Westfairinc.com
WHEN ASKED WHAT THEY WANTED TO SAY TO WESTCHESTER COUNTY EXECUTIVE ROBERT P. ASTORINO in response to his proposed 2016 county budget, leaders of nonprofits responded: • “We need him to remember everyone, not just someone.” • “We need him to return calls.” • “We need the arts to feed our souls.”
• “We need the parks to feed our souls.” The pointed words came Nov. 19, when nine nonprofits, organized by Nonprofit Westchester, held a press conference at Yonkers Public School 30 before the first of three Board of Legislators public hearings on the budget, rallying together under the hashtag and unified coalition #KeepWestchesterThriving. Astorino’s proposed $1.8 billion 2016 county capital and operating budget, due to be approved no later than Dec. 27 by legislators, calls for a 20 percent cut in funding to
Westchester’s nonprofits. For some organizations, reduced funding would mean the elimination of a program or several positions. For others, it would mean sink or swim. For the Greenburgh Nature Center, a $50,000 cut — 100 percent of its county funding — would mean the layoff of two full-time employees and a reduction in its programs and events. Officials from The Campaign for Kids, a branch of the Westchester Children’s Association, said Astorino’s proposed budget provides money toward child » Budget, page 8