MILWAUKEE -- Show love, shop small -it's the theme of Small Business Saturday, and one a lot of people take very seriously.
"The spirit's palpable when you're around folks who are really invested in their business," Adam Hahegerty said.
"It's a lot more personable [and] focused on being together and sharing a space," he continued.
According to the 2016 Small Business Saturday consumer insights survey, last year 12 million shoppers spent a reported 15.4 billion dollars at small business on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Monique Machut, sales floor manager at Red Elephant Chocolate in the Third Ward, said she hopes shoppers keep the spending momentum going this year too.
"When you get gifts from like a small shop it's more personal in my opinion," Machut said.
"It's great to support little businesses like us," she continued.
Machut said the chocolate shop suffered a big dip in sales when street car construction was at its peak, but now that the area is relatively back to normal the boutiques on Broadway are once again buzzing with business.
"Being down in the third ward is so great," Jennifer Bowers said.
"We get so much foot traffic all the time, but it's an extra special thing on Small Business Saturday," she continued.
