Downtown Waukesha businesses are urging the community to give small business shopping another chance after a devastating snowstorm last weekend cost them an entire weekend of crucial holiday sales.
Nearly a foot of snow that fell during Small Business Saturday left many local shops with zero customers and forced some to donate or throw away fresh holiday products they couldn't save.
"It was a big hit, really for everyone with nobody coming out," Fred Schaller of Sweet Diamond Foods said.
The impact went beyond just lost sales for businesses that had prepared extra inventory for the shopping holiday.
Watch here: Why Waukesha small businesses are encouraging you to come check them out.
"The snow devastated everyone especially if it is fresh products like cakes, brownies, cake pops that are beautifully decorated for Christmas you can't save those," Pam Dennis of Chef Pam's Kitchen said.
Jackie Clayton of Sweets by Ms. Jackie had to give them away rather than let them go to waste and so did another bakery, A Sprinkle of Sugar.
"I make it fresh," Clayton said. "I took most of it home and allowed people to use it for whatever they wanted."
"She will give it away to churches," Teresa Holmes of Sprinkle of Sugar, whose daughter is the baker, said.
The local impact mirrors national trends.
Small Business Saturday sales fell by 20% across the country according to U.S. consumer data. The losses hit particularly hard because small business spending has a direct community impact. According to an American Express study, for every $1 spent at a small business, 68 cents stays right in the community.
Some shoppers like Kris Kramer-Nesbitt are making conscious efforts to make up for the lost weekend.
"This weekend I'm out catching up," Kramer-Nesbitt said.
Business owners say they appreciate their regular customers who are trying to shop local, but they need more community support to recover from the setback.
"We need a platform, we need an area where we can be there," Fred Schaller said.
His wife Karen Schaller emphasized the importance of community support.
"Help support the local businesses. I think that is key," Karen Schaller said.
Holmes hopes the community will give small businesses another chance.
"That's what I wish that people would do a second one," Holmes said.
Dennis echoed the call for continued local support.
"Come shop local small businesses," Dennis said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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