The Black Friday holiday shopping experience was alive and well in downtown Oakdale over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to a sampling of downtown merchants.

Jordan Plumb, owner of Porter 136 on North Third Avenue, said she had good crowds in her store throughout the weekend.

“It was better than I thought it would be,” she said. “There were a lot of people out and about.”

Porter 136, which offers furniture and home accessories, has a variety of items that would make great holiday gifts, according to Plumb.

Alexandra Zwald, owner of Alexandra’s Home and Garden on North Third, turns her store into a winter wonderland every Christmas. She also said she had a busy weekend, with a line out the door all day Friday.

“It was an amazing weekend,” she noted.

Zwald said this is her 10th Christmas at the store, where she transforms her business into a Christmas store. She said she mailed out 2,000 invitations to her customers this year, many of who come to Oakdale from the Bay Area and Stockton for some holiday shopping.

Mary Guardiola, CEO of the Oakdale Chamber of Commerce, said she noticed a lot of people visiting downtown shops during the annual Cowboy Christmas event on Saturday at the community center.

“They were walking back and forth all day, even in the rain,” she said.

On Friday, Dec. 10 the Downtown Merchants Association will host its third annual Old Fashioned Christmas. There will be a Santa’s Village and photos, wagon rides, food booths, a petting zoo, and other activities. The event will run from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.