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Shoppers Think Local On Small Business Saturday

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Thousands of people are shopping locally to support Small Business Saturday.

In downtown Stillwater, you can find window shoppers, people hustling and bustling with bags full of gifts, and lots and lots of ornaments.

Jim Beboer and his family make it a point to shop small this holiday season. They visited Käthe Wohlfahrt of America, which specializes in Christmas ornaments made in Germany.

"Our tradition is to come into Stillwater and do a little shopping for everybody. It's such a great town, and all the people are so friendly, it's a lot of fun it's a great way to kick off the Christmas holidays," Beboer said. "I think it's very important. There's a lot of big box chains and Amazon, of course trying to take over the world, but it's the small mom-and-pop shops that are really crucial to the economy."

David Beale thinks the same thing, and he wants to teach his two daughters that lesson.

"It's just that it's good for them to learn that if you keep it local, everybody will grow around you," Beale said.

And you might find some something you can't get anywhere else.

"Here you get unique items that are handmade, hand crafted, and it's different than any other thing that you use," said sales associate Emma Westmoreland.

"Everything seems so intricate and handmade, and you can just feel the love that went into these products," said shopper Brett Mueller. "You don't see in some of the bigger stores."

Käthe Wohlfahrt had about 1,000 people through their doors on Black Friday.

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