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Business & Tech

Calm Prevails At Marina Square

The placid scene at this specialty plaza early Black Friday stood in contrast to the tragedy at the Walmart on Hesperian Boulevard.

The scene was calm at Marina Square this morning which pleased shoppers who chose this smaller venue over other bigger retail centers across the region.

“I came here because they opened at 6 a.m. and not at midnight like most other places,” said Lisa Maria Peña of San Leandro.

Marina Square, located at 1201 Marina Boulevard off Interstate 880 in San Leandro, has 21 retail shops and restaurants and a small business feel.

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Peña said she had done the big malls the night before and had come to Marina Square to catch a bargain at the Nike Clearance Store.

“I went with my family to shop at other stores like Target and Walmart in Union City last night, went back home to sleep, but got back up to come here,” Peña said.

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Security was a concern for some.  Just few hours earlier, at around 1:50 a.m., San Leandro Police responded to a shooting at the nearby Walmart on Hesperian Boulevard in San Leandro. 

, one victim was shot after trying to fight off an attempted robbery. The victim is in stable condition. One man is in custody.

Two police officers were present at Marina Square when it opened Black Friday morning, but unlike the chaotic scenes at larger venues the officers did not have much to worry about.

“I didn’t hear about the shooting yet, but I’m always extra careful on days like this,” said Kevin Walsh, 19, of San Leandro.

He said he had gone shopping at the Southland Mall in Hayward, the Newpark Mall in Newark and the Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton before coming to Marina Square to buy new shoes at the Nike Clearance Outlet.

Walsh said he considers himself a strategic Black Friday shopper. 

“I go online and plan out where I’m going to go first, before I go out,” he said. 

Walsh plans on attending college soon and is shopping today because he knows he has to be thriftier once school starts. 

“I’m on a tight budget, so I have to figure out how much I want to spend first,” Walsh explained.  “I already know what I want from here (the Nike Clearance Store) . . . hopefully the lines won’t take too long so I can go home soon."

The and attracted the most people to the outlet center.

“This is our last stop before we call it a night,” a Black Friday shopper who did not want to be named said minutes before Nordstrom Rack opened its doors.  “It’s not as crazy here, but they still offer the same great sales as other shopping centers.”

Over 70 people stood in line that wrapped around the Nike Clearance Store where people began to wait as early as 3 a.m. Almost 50 lined up outside of the Nordstrom Rack

The Nike Clearance Store offered 20 percent off all already bargain priced men's  and women’s apparel and a gift for the first two hundred customers. 

Other stores like Nordstrom Rack were offering 30-60 percent off various items. The and were offering up to 40 percent off store merchandise. 

The , Gymboree and s also opened their doors at 6 a.m., offering different specials in each store.

Even if the scene was not as hectic as most places, people lined up at the Nike Clearance Center, Nordstrom Rack and Ann Taylor Factory Store cheered as an enthusiastic staff opened the doors and greeted shoppers at 6:00 a.m.

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