Dec. 2—Shoppers turned out in masses for Black Friday shopping in Huntsville. Five Below and Ulta are the two new stores to the Ravenwood Village and Kroger Center that saw a successful day of shopping. Both stores are diversely different, but each offer exciting new choices for the local shopper.

Five Below is an American chain of speciality discount stores that sells products that are less than $5, plus a small assortment of products from $6 to $25. Five Below is a place with unlimited possibilities where tweens, teen and beyond are free to Let Go & Have Fun, in a color-popping, music pumping, shopping experience is the marketing introduction.

"It has been busy for all the staff. The large trucks rolled in and we unloaded and set up the store in time for a soft opening and Black Friday excitement,"

Manager Annette Shields said. "The squishmallow plush toys were the biggest seller on Black Friday."

Squishmallows are soft, cute, cuddly stuffed animals, that come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors, including pineapple, rainbow fish, shark, and watermelon. Jack the Black Cat squishmallow is considered the rarest in the collection.

Each Sunday a new squishmallows arrives and the collectors hurry into the store to add to their collections. The buyers of these collectables range in age, as they have become a tool to help people of any age cope with stress and anxiety, from the touchable texture. For more information about the new store, log on to fivebelow.com

Ulta has arrived in Huntsville, just in time for the holidays. Ulta Beauty, Inc. is a beauty retailer of cosmetics, fragrance, skin care and hair care products. It operates through the segment which includes retail stores, salon services and e-commerce. The store provides unmatched product breadth, value and convenience in a distinctive specialty retail environment. The company was founded on Jan. 9, 1990, and is headquartered in Bolingbrook, IL.

"Customers lined up at 6 a.m. on Black Friday, and we were pretty busy through out the day," said Ulta Sales Associate Haley.

Ulta's current store layout is organized by price point, with prestige makeup and skincare on one side of the store, and mass or drug store makeup and skincare on the other. Fragrance is in the middle of stores, and haircare is in the back.

Ulta is known for their holiday box deals and fans patiently wait for their special makeup or fragrance to go on sale.

Haley thinks the customers not only come for the sales but for good customer service and she prides herself in providing it. This year Ulta will offer box beauty deals weekly. For more information, call 936-400-7288.

These stores and other new arrivals to Huntsville have made a significant impact on the sales taxes receipts. The City of Huntsville latest comparisons reflect a 0.57% increase for Nov. and 16.61% increase for Oct.

"We can't drive home the point enough of how critical it is that we all seek to spend our dollars with local businesses and with businesses that call our community home," Huntsville/Walker County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Ray Hernandez said. "The money we spend locally goes well beyond the goods and services we purchase. Each dollar directly and indirectly ensures that we keep our local economy moving upward."