KITTERY – As dawn broke in Kittery, the parking lots of the outlet malls slowly filled with cars, most with out-of-state plates. Missing were the big crowds typically seen at midnight openings, but the Kittery Premium Outlets mall management expected the pace to pick up throughout the day.

This year, stores opened at 6 a.m. Some stores opened at midnight last year, but opening times changed this year to better match the patterns of shoppers.

Many shoppers come to the Kittery outlets from out of state and visit for the entire day, said Kathy Apokov, marketing manager for Kittery Premium Outlets.

Apokov said the holiday shopping season kicked off on Veterans Day, especially with shoppers from Canada.

Kelly Miller of St. John, New Brunswick, walked past a line of nearly empty shops, a cup of coffee in hand. She said she comes to Kittery every Black Friday. This year, Miller, her sister and two friends were capping a weeklong vacation. They lamented that the exchange rate wasn’t better, but were still finding good deals on clothes and toys, Miller said.

At the New Balance outlet, Jillian Labillois of New Brunswick was shopping for shoes with her mother. They make the 8-hour drive to Kittery every Black Friday.

“Even bought the Canadian dollar isn’t strong, it’s still worth the trip,” she said.

Kristi McDurman of Phoenix, Arizona, was in town to visit family and was dragged out of bed by her two young cousins to visit the Nike outlet, where her 10-year-old cousin scored a $130 pair of sneakers for $20.

McDurman said she was surprised by the lack of traffic, but didn’t mind avoiding the big crowds.

“I’m used to camping out,” said McDurman, who works in retail.

Christina Prior, manager of the New Balance outlet, said the holiday shopping is off to a strong start, even if there were few shoppers before 8 a.m. Friday. She expected to be busier later in the day and throughout the weekend.

“November has been really good to us,” she said. “It’s the busiest I’ve seen it in a long time.”

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