Shop owners hope Small Business Saturday promotes shopping locally all year long

Local business owners are hoping Small Business Saturday will get people shopping locally, not just this weekend but throughout the year.

Small Business Saturday was a hit in Orlando and Winter Park this weekend. Many people supported local businesses as they shop. For business owners, it means everything to them.

"It really does matter most to small businesses, we all feel the impact the most back at our homes supporting our own families," said Cedar Jayson the co-owner of Paper Goat Post in Baldwin Park.

She runs the business with her twin sister and it's a family affair.

"It does really take the whole family," said Cedar. "Whether it’s our husbands coming in to help hang things. We love it and wouldn’t change it, but it is a lot of work."

Park Avenue in Winter Park was buzzing with Small Business Saturday shoppers. The shopping holiday highlights the importance of shopping small and bringing money back into our local economies.

"They are so important to our community. If we don’t have that, we will live in a world of Amazon. Small businesses are the heartbeat of America. The American Dream," said Traci Rodriguez of Sultre Boutique in Winter Park.

The owner of The Owl's Attic, a vintage store in Orlando, says small businesses are what make Orlando so special.

"Keeping small businesses alive – it makes Orlando so unique," said the owner, Brittany Sulser. "It’s something we need to make sure we continue to support, because the area wouldn’t be the same without all the mom-and-pop shops."

Business owners hope Small Business Saturday inspires people to help these stores thrive not just today, but whenever they shop.

"Also, a reminder that we need you all year round. It isn’t just for holidays, for one day. Let this day kickstart a habit for everyone in the community to realize how important they are to businesses like us," said Sulser.