WACO, Texas — Every year, the Saturday after Thanksgiving is known as Small Business Saturday to encourage holiday shoppers to stop by locally-owned businesses.
This holiday season, U.S. Census Bureau data shows nearly 70% of Texas small businesses report being negatively impacted by the pandemic. Many businesses, however, are already seeing larger crowds this holiday shopping season.
"It's taken us a while to get back and it's taken people a while to get back and shopping retail and not so much online," said Jennifer Wilson, owner of Spice Village in Waco.
Her shop, which sells products from a variety of different small businesses, has struggled in the face of the pandemic and also this year's winter storm.
"The freeze back in February caused a pipe to burst in our building and caused us to shut down and relocate for six months," she said.
Wilson is hoping this holiday season brings in a lot of business and returns the shop to a pre-pandemic normal.
Shoppers in the store on Friday afternoon said shopping locally is just as important to them as it is to small businesses.
"You keep that small business owner in business and help them support their families," said holiday shopper Angela Hendricks. "Plus, I think the quality is better of the products."
According to American Express, for every dollar spent at a small business, an estimated $0.67 stays in the community of that business.
