Shoppers head to Manayunk to browse local stores on Small Business Saturday
Manayunk is the place to go when it comes to local shopping. There are about 150 small businesses there.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Hundreds of shoppers browsed Main Street in the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia to support the dozens of stores on Small Business Saturday.
Inside The Little Apple on Main Street, Brandy Deieso spread holiday cheer with free drinks for paying customers.
"Would you like a root beer or a hard seltzer with your koozie? Which is our giveaway today," she told someone at checkout.
It's her token of appreciation for support.
"We just decided to throw a hoedown, disco-themed because we love sparkles and pink," said Deieso, the store's owner.
READ | Small business owners gear up for the biggest shopping weekend of the holiday season
She says this is her busiest sales day of the entire year and shoppers certainly showed out in numbers to work on their holiday gift lists.
"I would rather spend more money on something smaller and more thoughtful than just spend money on Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals at bigger stores," said shopper Shelby Posen.
Manayunk is the place to go when it comes to local shopping. There are about 150 small businesses, including bars, restaurants, and retail stores.
"Manayunk wouldn't be Manayunk without our small businesses. They really are at the core of our community," said Caitlin Marsilii, the events coordinator for the Manayunk Development Corporation.
She had guides and brochures for shoppers on Main Street, helping people find the perfect, unique gifts.
"You can really get a curated feel by shopping small and you get to talk and meet the business owners themselves," she said.
That's certainly the case at Lila Philadelphia.
"Most of the pieces are from Greece because I'm Greek and my sister is Greek, and we really wanted to just showcase a little piece of home in Philadelphia," said Laura Anne Lamprou, the owner.
The store went all out on the holiday theme with Grinches, the nutcracker, and a Christmas tree; decorations that helped Manayunk shoppers feel the holiday spirit.
"It's hard to find a town where there are no big box stores, and so today, Small Business Saturday really means a lot to Manayunk especially," said Deieso.
While Small Business Saturday is just one day, store owners hope customers will keep showing up the rest of the season.
