Sara Zabel, above, of Gartzke’s Floral and Gifts, reported Black Friday drew more customers than Small Business Saturday at her store.

Most Americans are familiar with the concept of Black Friday.

The famous holiday may conjure images of lines stretching around box stores and hordes of consumers rampaging the aisles in pursuit of a bargain.

Of course, Black Friday can also conjure milder images of stores which are simply a little more bustling than usual.

Regardless, Black Friday is not be-all and end-all of the post-Thanksgiving shopping season. Another holiday, initiated to counter the big-brand oriented culture of Black Friday, is a little less well-known: Small Business Saturday.

The holiday was first established in 2011, when the Senate passed a resolution in support of the day. The hope was that a holiday nationally recognizing small businesses would remind Americans to consider local options while completing their holiday shopping.

After 2021’s iteration of both holidays, local Blue Earth businesses reflect upon the year’s most shopping-centered weekend.

Julie Loge, owner of Dikken’s Decorating, Inc., shares she always looks forward to the busy time.

“A lot of people are having family gatherings this weekend,” she explains. “We see people we only see once a year that are out shopping with their families. Traditionally, it’s a fun weekend for us.”

Regardless of whether they enjoyed the added hustle and bustle, most local businesses agree they saw an uptick in foot traffic this weekend, even if it didn’t quite match levels of customers seen during previous holiday shopping seasons.

Shelley Volz, owner of Twisted Vine Floral, reports a good turnout over the weekend.

“Most of my business is on the telephone, but I had a lot of walk-in traffic,” Volz says. She saw a large number of customers on both Friday and Saturday, as did Loge.

However, both shopping holidays were not observed equally at every local business.

Sara Zabel, owner of Gartzke’s Floral and Gifts, shares, “There were more people around (on Small Business Saturday) than on a normal Saturday. But, Friday was busier than Saturday.” 

Meanwhile, Michele Hard, owner of Michele’s Quilting and Sewing Center, reports the exact opposite.

“We saw higher traffic mostly on Saturday,” Hard says. “As a rule, people know that I don’t do Black Friday. I do Small Business Saturday.” 

Hard clarifies her statement. “For us, it’s kind of a busy time of the year anyway. We focus everything on Saturday,” she says.

“We usually do bring a few more people in. It was a little slower from previous years, but still a good day,” Hard reflects.

She offered prospective customers specials on sewing machines, as well as 19 percent off all goods in honor of her business’s 19th birthday.

Tim Juba, manager of Juba’s Grocery, shares Juba’s typically avoids the Black Friday rush as well.

“We always feel people don’t want to go grocery shopping on Friday,” Juba reasons.

The local grocery store did offer a Small Business Saturday deal, however, advertising bacon at $2.99 for a 12 ounce package.  

“On Black Friday, we open at seven in the morning for the Snooze You Lose sale from 7-9 a.m.,” Loge reports.

Loge’s strategic business move seems to work. “A lot of people like to go out of town for Black Friday. It kind of gets people going in the morning,” Loge reasons.

Meanwhile, Zabel and Volz, who presented bargains on both days, also reported a good number of shoppers on Friday and Saturday.

Volz offered her customers 20 percent off of Christmas gift and decor items, while Zabel offered 10 percent off of ornaments for the day, as well as a free bag of popcorn with a purchase.

However, businesses which embraced Black Friday still agreed that Small Business Saturday is an equally important addition to the shopping-centered weekend.

Despite admitting she feels she sees more locals shopping on Black Friday, Loge notes, “It (Small Business Saturday) brings recognition to small businesses, and reminds people that we’re all here, and we appreciate their support more than the big box stores.” 

Volz agrees, theorizing she draws in customers on Saturday who may do their shopping out of town the previous day. “I think more people go out of town on Black Friday than they do on Saturday,” Volz reasons.

Hard values Small Business Saturday as an opportunity to give something back to her customers.

“For us, it’s showing our customers we appreciate them,” Hard explains. “Our customers come in and tell us, ‘Thank you for being here.’ It’s nice to hear.” 

Whether they participate in the whole weekend of shopping or not, all of the businesses were in agreement that it is important to try to shop local.

“I think we have some great businesses in Blue Earth,” Zabel notes. “It’s about keeping the businesses in town.” 

Volz agrees. “It would be very sad if we had to go out of town (to shop),” she says. “Me, personally, I can get everything I need in Blue Earth.” 

“It’s just keeping our community active and vibrant,” Hard summarizes. “Without that, our downtown wouldn’t be here.”