PITTSBURGH — The air was crisp on one of the coldest days of the season so far, but that didn’t keep some shoppers away on Small Business Saturday.
“The wind is killing us. The wind is just way too much,” said Indrashish Roy of Shadyside.
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Roy’s partner agreed.
“We tried to walk here but then we had to hop on the bus. It was too cold,” said Ananya Johri of Shadyside.
Many people bundled up to hunt for deals and unique gifts along Butler Street in Lawrenceville.
“There’s discounts everywhere and candles and jewelry and clothes and stuff, so we bought a couple of candles for some friends,” Johri said.
Rosie’s Workshop was packed.
Rosie’s co-founder Blair Koss said this year sales are up.
“We’ve been doing our pop socks, buy four get two free,” he said. “This year, it has been much bigger, a lot more traffic today than last year. We had a huge Black Friday yesterday, which has increased from last year as well.”
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The National Retail Federation is expecting 3.5% jump in spending in November and December compared to last year.
Shoppers didn’t forget to buy special treats for their furry friends at Salty Paws Pittsburgh. The specialty dog shop is known for its ice cream, including Thanksgiving feast flavors.
“We’ve had waves of busy,” said Salty Paws Pittsburgh Owner Jessica Kury. “We definitely got a cold snap here and I think that people are kind of rushing in real quick and getting their shopping done and rushing back out.”
Abigail Bao of Oakland stumbled upon the shop.
“It was very cold outside and as I was waiting for my bus, I came across this store and everything looks so cute, so I decided to come and visit and see,” Bao said.
Many shoppers agreed that supporting local stores is the way to go.
“I think local businesses bring so much flavor to the neighborhood, makes Pittsburgh more unique than others,” Bao said.
Shoppers braved the cold and took to the streets of Millvale in search of deals and holiday gifts.
McWalker Yarns on Grant Avenue had a 50% off rack, a raffle and locally sourced wool. The owner said Small Business Saturday is important to keeping a community’s culture alive.
“Small Business Saturday is a day when I think we celebrate the businesses that make up our Main Street, in this case, Grant Avenue,” said McWalker Yarns owner Amy McCall. “The small businesses, that keep us alive and keep our local people happy.”
The holiday shopping rush continues throughout the weekend with Cyber Monday still ahead.
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