The holiday shopping weekend continued with Small Business Saturday on Nov. 26.
Approximately 166.3 million people are projected to shop between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday this year, according to the National Retail Federation.
Sandwiched in the middle of the holiday weekend, Small Business Saturday allows for consumers to support independent retailers during the holiday shopping season.
This year marked the second Small Business Saturday in which Asheville's Madam Clutterbuckets Neurodiverse Universe has participated.
“It can be overwhelming with a lot of people in the store,” sales associate Bandit Thomas said, jokingly.
This also happened to be the first Small Business Saturday Thomas has worked.
“A couple of years ago I couldn’t even imagine a store like this being around, which is unfortunate, but that’s how it is,” said Thomas.
Madam Clutterbuckets opened in November 2021, setting out to employ adults with developmental disabilities, from running the register to overseeing day-to-day operations.
“There are some days I’m like, ‘I can’t believe this is working,’ and of course it’s working because people want to support innovative new businesses,” said owner Ashley Deck. “They want to support people doing things to help other people. So, it’s a lot of work, a labor of love, and that’s success in itself.”
Deck says the influx of sales will allow her to continue hiring even more staff members.
“We’re trying to break the stigma of people with developmental, mental, and physical disabilities are incapable of maintaining or holding a job,” said Assistant Manager Foster Deck. “We’re hoping to break that model and show other businesses people are more than capable of holding a job.”
Deck told News 13 since opening, she has employed more than 12 adults with disabilities.
“People from 16 to 52 work here,” said Deck. “We’re all friends, woven together in this little shop trying to change people’s minds about what abilities and disabilities are not.”