CHESTER, S.C. -- Marsha Eland opened up her gift shop "Magnolia Cottage" in downtown Chester, S.C. about two years ago.

"We've done better than we expected," she said on Thursday afternoon. She opened the shop on Gadsden Street about the time the economy started to slide.

Folks in Chester County have experienced the faltering economy more than some other places. The county's unemployment rate tops 20 percent, the second worst in all of South Carolina's 46 counties.

Chester County has suffered with the closure of several large plants in 2009, and the collapse of the textile industry over the last two decades.

"It's frustrating. It's frustrating for our citizens," said Jeff Kerr, Chester's city administrator. "We've got a lot of positive things on the horizon that we feel are going to bring some jobs, but they're not coming tomorrow."

Friday will bring one of the busiest shopping days of the year. However, many local businesses are often left on the sidelines.

That's because people in Chester often drive to Rock Hill or even across the border into Pineville, N.C. to do their shopping.

This year, Chester's downtown businesses are hoping to keep them closer to home.

"We hope people will appreciate the fact that they can shop locally. That they don't have to be in the crowds and the mess," Eland said.

Eland said many first-time customers often tell her they didn't even know her shop was there. She said that perception is what downtown shop owners want to change.

Some businesses raised thousands of dollars in private donations to decorate downtown Chester for the holidays. Stores have spruced up, and are offering sales, better service, easier parking and less hassle, hoping to win over shoppers from the big box stores to the north.

"The last thing you want in a downtown in a small community like us is to have a lot of empty buildings," Kerr said. However, despite the downturn in the local economy, downtown has held together well.

Vacant shops are few, and the streets are still lined with restaurants, cafes, and stores selling everything from furniture to clothes to gifts to hardware.

"I see a lot of hope," Eland said. "A lot of faith that things are gonna turn around, and we're all gonna be ok."

On black Friday, they're hoping many shoppers will turn around too, and head downtown for their day of bargain hunting.