Kelowna business bucks Black Friday retail trend with Green Friday

KELOWNA – A Kelowna business owner closed his store on Black Friday going against the retail trend from the U.S., which has stores cutting prices to drive up Christmas sales.

Kelowna Cycle owner Patrick Rosen closed the doors at his two retail outlets and gave the employees the day off on Friday, Nov. 27, calling it Green Friday.

“I feel good today,” Rosen wrote on the Kelowna Cycle Facebook page. “I gave the great people that work at Kelowna Cycle and the Hub the day off with pay so that they could do the activities they love like riding a bike, cross country skiing, running or spending catch up time with the people they love.”

Rosen is also on record as a supporter of Buy Nothing Day.

He told Global Okanagan he encourages people to not spend money on Black Friday and instead spend time with family.

“What’s important? Your family is important. Your time. Doing something constructive with your time, those are all good things, right?” Rosen said.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Howard Alexander at halexander@infonews.ca. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.