Local small businesses prepare for rush of holiday shoppers Thanksgiving weekend

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) —Many area small businesses are getting ready for a rush of holiday shoppers Thanksgiving weekend.

WWAY spoke with local retailers, who say they expect to see an increase in in-person shoppers this holiday season.

Next week, shoppers will flock to stores for deals on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday, two of the busiest days for small businesses during the holidays.

Suzanne Reid with ‘Nest Fine Gifts and Interiors’ says since the beginning of the month the store has already seen more people coming in to shop for gifts.

“We started decorating and had everything ready for Christmas November 1st, turned on the radio to Christmas music, and we’ve seen a real influence of people coming in ready to mark things off their list,” said Suzanne Reid, ‘Nest Fine Gifts and Interiors’ interior designer.

Gina Wilkins and  Allison Trinkle, sales managers at ‘Island Passage’ say they think more people will be buying from local stores, instead of online retailers in order to avoid supply chain issues and shipping delays.

“This whole year has been that way, we have seen more customers and again with the support of the local community we’ve been very, very, fortunate. So I think we’ll see more, I do,” said Gina Wilkins, sales manager at ‘Island Passage’.

“We’re already seeing an increase of traffic, so I think people are ready to get out, I think people have been in the house too long, they have money to spend and they want to support local,” said Allison Trinkle, assistant sales manager at ‘Island Passage’.

Kendall Hurt, owner of ‘Meadowlark’ clothing store says it’s all hands on deck for her staff, including interns to deal with the rush of shoppers.

“I love to hire interns, but that’s always a little bit of a juggle because they do want to go home and spend holidays with their family. I’ll have that happen, but for instance I have a really good friend and her mother coming to help me on Black Friday, so you get creative and you take help that is offered to you,” said Kendall Hurt,   owner of ‘Meadowlark’.

Hurt says small businesses appreciate shoppers that buy from them during the holidays, especially after the impact of the pandemic.

“Small businesses, local businesses, female-owners, thank you from the bottom of our heart. We really need you so much to exist, and to prosper and to even thrive,” said Hurt.

According the National Retail Federation, 66% of holiday shoppers across the country plan to shop Thanksgiving weekend this year, which is estimated to be more than 158 million people.