The Thanksgiving holiday weekend weather was tough on local businesses due to the heavy snow.
Several businesses closed up early on Black Friday while some rebounded on Small Business Saturday.
However, with Mother Nature cooperating this past weekend, the Downtown Holiday Open House, shoppers took advantage of great deals and giveaways.
When Santa and Mrs. Claus were not walking around downtown meeting shoppers, they were nestled inside the Avery Center having pictures taken with children.
"This is great! Avery Square is so beautiful with all the decorated trees. I can't stay around too long with Santa because I need to go shopping and spend some money. Buying local is important. The downtown is the heart and soul of the city. This community is amazing," Mrs. Claus said.
Jill Rambo opened up The Little Gift Shop six years ago. She said business was very good this weekend.
"It's been a continual growth for us. We did some expansion during COVID and that went well. This is our year-round store. The community comes out well for us at Christmas and this weekend, they have been coming in because of the better weather," Rambo said.
Next door to The Little Gift Shop is Field & Forage.
Owner Laurie Jarvie opened her doors just over five years ago and looks forward to a weekend like this.
"This is huge. The weather for Shop Local really hurt us. This is fun today because the weather cooperated. For many of our customers, it's like a tradition seeing everyone come in to shop. It's nice to get to know people. You start to develop relationships and that's part of the fun of this weekend," Jarvie said.
