Winter weather doesn’t deter shoppers on Small Business Saturday

MAPLEWOOD, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Every year, the day after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday gets to be in the spotlight.

This year, businesses had to deal with the first round of winter weather for the first time of the year, but it didn’t stop shoppers from ing their local businesses.

The City of Maplewood held a Small Business Saturday event that s local shops and incentivizes consumers to buy local.

“We are handing out Maplewood bucks. So it is $10 to spend at any of our participating businesses. It’s just like cash. It’s just kind of to kick off the holiday season to get people excited about shopping,” said Laura Miller, community development director for Maplewood.

While the snow could have been seen as a deterrent, many people were out in Maplewood ing the local businesses.

“It’s the perfect start for the holiday season and what a better place to do it, right, you know? I mean there’s so many cool shops here, you can just kind of wander the area and lose yourself and find unique things you won’t find anywhere else,” said Michael Kilfoy, shopper.

Kilfoy said Maplewood is one of the greatest communities, making it easy to .

“You know these are my neighbors, my partners and people I care for, so it’s important to me to be out here and them,” he said.

The Owner of Zee Bee Market, Julio Zegarra-Ballon, welcomes to the snow.

“I think there is some magic of having snow present it just sort of like it is officially the season to shop,” he said. “It’s really a sign that we are ready for holidays, and it just sets the tone and the stage for what’s to come.”

Zegarra-Ballon said he is appreciative of the ones who braved the wintry mix on Saturday.

“ing main street America in these mom-and-pop shops is paramount to our communities and economies,” he said.

So whether it is snow or shine, the locals will always a crucial part of their town.

“We just love shopping small and we love finding all the unique items that you just can’t find anywhere else and knowing that a lot of money stays in the community is a huge incentive for us to keep doing it,” said Lizzie Geerling, shopper.

Miller said even though Saturday is for small businesses, consumers should still to buy local all through out the year.

For more information about events or businesses in Maplewood, visit the Enjoy Maplewood Facebook page.

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