One of these businesses was Art in the Alley in Downtown Duluth, where many shopped on Saturday.

“Our goal is to have about half of our Christmas shopping be local versus the Amazons and Walmart’s of the world,” Brock Safe of Minneapolis said. “We want these beautiful stores to stay in business.”

Rebecca Hudoba of Duluth said she also wants to see beautiful stores like Art in the Alley stay in business.

“I’m checking out as many different stores I can get to and my husband will just figure that out later when he sees the bill,” Hudoba said. “I was just checking out the Van Gogh Starry Night for my mom. She would love this and now I'm thinking ‘Do I get the same for myself?’”

Owner of Art in the Alley, Tami Edmunds said Small Business Saturday is bigger than one day.

“People say Small Business Saturday and we have to laugh because every Saturday is small business Saturday when you live, breathe, own a small business,” Edmunds said.

Across the bridge, Allison Tacheny of Superior picked up candy for herself and her loved ones at Sweeden Sweets, where shoppers picked up treats of all kinds.

“This is my first time in here and it smells delicious. It's absolutely adorable and we definitely are probably getting more treats than we need to,” Tacheny said.

Owner Dan Klarner has also been participating in Small Business Saturday for many years.

“It’s great to see people come into the store and see all the chocolates we have and the memories that a lot of things bring back. It's a lot of fun,” Klarner said.

In addition to traditional shopping, the businesses said they have increased their digital presence, so that shoppers can purchase presents online or via curb side pick-up as the pandemic continues. 

To watch the original report and see related stories, follow this link to the WDIO-TV website. https://www.wdio.com/duluth-minnesota-news/small-business-saturday-amid-pandemic-/5936721/?cat=10335