ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – After Black Friday wraps up, Small Business Saturday emphasizes shopping.
More than 15 businesses in downtown Roanoke celebrated the day with sales and promotions to kick off the holiday season.
“All year, we rely on our local customers and today is a good day to kick off the holiday season and celebrate,” said Alley Brundage, the store manager of the clothing store 310 Rosemont located on Market Street.
“It makes a big difference to us every year because it’s the time when we’re highlighted, all the stores in downtown [Roanoke],” said Dolores Vest, owner of Book No Further, a bookstore also located on Market Street.
Shopping local is being encouraged more and more and the Saturday after Thanksgiving is the perfect way to start the holiday season for local shops.
“Of course, Black Friday, all of our small businesses had sales for that as well but I feel like there’s more emphasis on larger retailers, so we really want to shine that spotlight on our downtown businesses,” said Joya Harris of Downtown Roanoke Incorporated.
From sales to specials to free parking, there was no shortage of incentives to get people out on the streets of Downtown Roanoke on Saturday afternoon.
While this week kicks off a busy season of shopping, Saturday underscored the importance of buying local throughout the year.
“Year-round support for small business means a lot to us,” said Brundage. “A lot of our customers are local. A lot of our customers are visiting from out-of-town too and I think they can really experience our town and city if they’re shopping here locally.”
Local shops tend to be ingrained in the communities they serve and often know the people they sell to on a personal level.
“We curate things for the local people,” said Vest. “Maybe a chain will have things that they think the chain needs to carry but local stores will have what we need in Roanoke and the Roanoke Valley.”