Small Business Saturday is a day for celebrating and supporting locally owned shops.
American Express founded the movement in 2010 as a way to give back to small businesses, local jobs and families.
In a popular shopping and dining district like Middletown, there are plenty to support.
"It means that you're helping especially after the pandemic, supporting these businesses, making sure they can stay around. Give back to the communities versus the big corporations," said Cassie White, of Middletown.
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Some businesses, like Brew Bakers have been serving customers for nearly a decade.
"We were very fortunate to navigate our way through the pandemic. Our regulars still came back and we're really thankful for that," said Philipp Aigner, manager at Brew Bakers. "We're in a good position now so we can't complain too much. The only thing is the rise in costs with food prices going up."
Others opened their doors for the time on Small Business Saturday.
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"I am very blessed, and I'm excited to see where this takes me," said Rachel Caster, owner of Moon Caster.
Caster is a registered nurse at Connecticut Children's Hospital. When she isn't treating patients, she's running her health and wellness shop located inside Main Street Market.
"I range anywhere from crystals to candles to bath salts, make your own essential oils. I also have CBD oil, based around wellness things. Things for sleep, things for stress, immunity. So, it's a really big passion project for me. It's kind of the other side of modern medicine for me that I do every day," said Caster.
A couple doors down is The Man Cave, a place filled with fun socks, mugs and kitchenware.
"I want it to be a one-stop shop. So, whether it's for a 12-year-old or your 95-year-old grandpa, I really want people to find something here. And it's diverse offerings, too. We have items for your dogs and pets and we do carry things for women as well," said owner Ericka Whalen.
On Small Business Saturday, Whalen also welcomed a new holiday hire.
"I'm excited. I woke up and I was like, I'm actually excited to go to work today, that's wild," said Wesleyan University student Kati Fletcher.
According to the Small Business Association, U.S. Shoppers showed up for small businesses in a big way last year as consumer spending totaled more than $20 billion.
The SBA also counts more than 360,000 small businesses in Connecticut, which generates more than 740,000 jobs.
More information on Shop Business Saturday can be found here.
