RUMFORD — Fighting for a piece of the holiday sales pie known as Black Friday, small local businesses are seeing an increase in customer traffic.

Less chaos, better hours and unique service are things shoppers couldn’t get at big-box stores, local business owners said.

“I think there is a misnomer that you have to go out of town to get a good deal or selection,” said Linda Dupill, owner of Stanley’s Furniture in Rumford. “We have match pricing and a large variety and we pride ourselves on wonderful sales and service.”

John Soucy, owner of Carlisle’s in Rumford, and Fonda Davenport, manager of Labonville in Mexico, agreed that they offered something big-box stores couldn’t.

 “We have quality products and a lot of U.S.-made products that chain stores don’t have,” Davenport said. “We also have some of the best customer service and that’s what keeps our loyal customers coming back.”

Kate Mortin, a local shopper in Farmington, said she preferred to shop locally because there is less of a crowd and it makes more economic sense.

“We are supporting our local economy,” she said. “I’m not paying for gas to drive or needing to eat out; it just makes more sense.”

Although small, local stores in Maine did not see the crowds some giant retailers did Friday, there was still a bustle on Broadway in Farmington.

“It’s a better atmosphere and we like the town of Farmington,” said Pia Whitehouse of Readfield.

Her brother, Cory Lenane, who was visiting from New York, said he preferred not to support corporate America and chose to give his business to local merchants.

Renys Department Store in Farmington saw more customer traffic around noon Friday. Manager Tom Burr said the store always manages to pull in a crowd.

“Mr. Reny always used to say, ‘When the economy goes bad, we do better because of our deals,'” he said.

With recent movements against corporate America and citizens wanting to get back to their roots, local merchants are hoping to cash in this holiday season.

“We’ve been a lot busier than in the past few years,” Carlisle’s owner Soucy said.

Small retailers hope that trend will continue today, which has been dubbed Small Business Saturday. The day was created last year by American Express to encourage people to “shop small,” according to its website.

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