LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) — Local shops were buzzing on Saturday, Nov. 29, as Small Business Saturday took over downtown Lynchburg.
For small business owners, this wasn’t just another weekend.
This is like our Super Bowl,” owner of Lexie and Lee, Danielle Wallace said.
Lexie and Lee is located in a storefront with Fox Burrow Books and Wild Grow Florals. Owners of the three businesses said the store was packed all day.
“The days between now and the end of the year can literally make or break a small business. So you’re kind of like ‘Okay, let’s see what happens,'” Wallace said.
Sylvia Kee, owner of Sylvia’s Boutique, said there was a line outside of her boutique before she even opened the store.
I got really excited. I was getting the refreshments ready,” Kee said.
For many in the community, shopping on Small Business Saturday is an annual tradition.
“Kelly and I actually come down every Small Business Saturday,” one shopper, Leann Perault, said. “We start downtown, we go to the market, we come here, we go to the academy. This is a tradition for us.”
For some owners, Saturday was a moment to be grateful for the community that has kept their doors open over the years.
Elise Rose, the owner of Grace Marine Jewelry and Designs, said Small Business Saturday is an awesome opportunity to connect with customers who have valued her family-run business over the years.
We’ve become friends with many and become close with many, and it’s nice having that community around us,” Rose said.
For other business owners, it’s a moment to look forward and be hopeful about what’s to come.
“When customers come in and support small businesses, it keeps us open. I really enjoy them, and they’re support because we couldn’t do it without my customers,” Kee said.
Ultimately, every day and every dollar counts to keep the doors of a small business open. Owners said Small Business Saturday is a moment to celebrate all that hard work.
Every day is Small Business Saturday to us, but it’s nice to have the public come out in droves and support small business today,” Aiden Perkins, the owner of Fox Burrow Books, said.
While Small Business Saturday only lasts one day, business owners said it’s important to support small businesses in your community all year round.
