WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Small Business Saturday brought shoppers out to downtown Wilkes-Barre with the goal of finding some holiday gifts.
"Different gifts that you wouldn't find in stores or online, more handmade stuff, so it's more from the heart," said Missy Fahey, Jenkins Township.
"Local businesses always seem to have more competition with big box stores and online. Usually, you find things that are unique and a little different. We enjoy shopping," said Rachel Kiwak, Harding.
The Diamond City Partnership hosts the Holiday Market at the Midtown Village every year, bringing out dozens of locally owned businesses to downtown Wilkes-Barre. It's also a way to get shoppers to explore the rest of the downtown.
"It's crucial that we bring this life and vitality back to downtown Wilkes-Barre post-pandemic, and we are seeing that this event is not only helping these vendors but also helping the entire community," said Shelby Monk, Diamond City Partnership Marketing and Events.
The bee hive gift shop was buzzing with customers. Owner Joanne Zarick says Small Business Saturday gets lots of new faces in the door to pick up gifts, "Because it's Christmas, we'll sell a lot of jewelry, we sell a lot of ponchos, little knick-knacks, and we have mats and candles, a lot of little Christmas presents and stocking stuffers."
Other vendors at the market, like Shawn Mankovich with Shoppy Shawn's Shmoked Cheese, tell Newswatch 16 when you make a purchase at a locally owned business, "We all do a little happy dance. This is what we are in business for, and the best thing is we get to meet everybody, and our customers get to know who we are."