For many big national retailers, Black Friday more or less starts Wednesday. Most locally owned businesses, however, will wait until, well, Friday.

That’s not to say that other festiveness hasn’t already arrived even if the deals have yet to begin.

“We like the excitement,” said Carolyn Richmond, owner of Fortuity women’s clothing store at 809 Massachusetts St. “We’ve got the Christmas music going already.”

In recent years a number of large retailers have started pre-Black Friday “door-buster” type sales in days and weeks preceding Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving known for frenzied Christmas shopping. Some big stores now are even open on Thanksgiving Day.

Downtown, however, will really kick off the shopping season Friday and continue with events and promotions throughout December, said Sally Zogry, director of Downtown Lawrence Inc.

“There are a lot of really good deals downtown, and sometimes people aren’t aware that there are so many,” Zogry said.

Stores will be open Friday leading up to the annual Santa rescue event. Entertainment and festivities begin at 5:30 p.m. Friday at U.S. Bank Plaza, where onlookers can see Santa rescued from the roof of Weaver’s Department Store.

Many also will offer special deals on Small Business Saturday, aimed to highlight locally owned businesses.

New this year Downtown Lawrence Inc. also is planning a Winter Wonder Weekend Dec. 6-7 to highlight all things holiday downtown, and will feature deals on its Facebook page, facebook.com/downtownlawrence, throughout December.

Zogry added that more downtown Lawrence retailers than many people realize participate in Cyber Monday — the Monday after Thanksgiving — too.

Those are the businesses that do a lot of sales online in addition to their downtown storefronts.

Fortuity is one of them, Richmond said. While the store plans giveaways — including Fortuity gift cards and fashion items such as bandeaus and sunglasses — in-store over Black Friday weekend, online they’ll offer free shipping.

One benefit to coming in person, though, is help from Fortuity’s fashion-savvy staff.

“We like helping people; that’s our biggest thing,” Richmond said. “Trying to help that person find the one gift for someone when they have no clue what they want.”?