Downtown Columbia was packed with people supporting Small Business Saturday

COLUMBIA Mo. (KMIZ)

The streets in Downtown Columbia were packed all throughout the day Saturday with people supporting Small Business Saturday. This is an annual holiday that encourages the community to shop at local businesses.

Regan Downing a manager at Nourished Cafe says when people walk through the doors of a local restaurant they truly help keep the restaurant up and running.

"You know you pay money and that's a vote towards keeping something of value in your local business," Downing said.

The Community Improvement District in Columbia says people have celebrated Small Business Day for nearly 10 years now.

According to Census Data $19.8 billion dollars were spent in small businesses across the country back in 2020 for Small Business Saturday.

Nickie Davis with the District Downtown says this year businesses reached a record high in sales which is a great recovery since the start of the pandemic.

"Our community definitely came out to our businesses and showed support which is why our downtown did so well, but this year people are out and they're ready," Davis said. "They want to get back to those traditions, they want to support our small businesses."

Many businesses nationwide have also struggled with an employee shortage especially within small businesses, but Nickie Davis says Columbia is trying a different technique to work around this.

"If they know they're going to be short a day they will go to a different business and see if they have any employees that might be able to fill in," Davis said.

Downing says the organic cafe has actually seen a boost of business since the pandemic and it has been the busiest the store has seen in more than a year.

"A lot more people were like I don't think I'm healthy and I want to be healthy, I want to be at my best so that you know with the craziness in the world I feel more confident," Downing said.

A local business owner at Dryer's Shoe Store, Justin Riley also says his small business is doing great this year, but with the help of its costumers.

"The majority of the money you spend there is going right back into the community, so it really benefits everyone in Columbia as a whole to shop local," Riley said.

Last year, Dryer's Shoe Store said customers were still a bit hesitant with coming out during the pandemic, but this year was different.

"This year we're seeing a lot more traffic and a lot more people from out of town so it's really been a great turnout," Riley said.

You can also support local businesses by purchasing a store gift card or by going to their website and leaving a comment.

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