Some Ames Businesses Hope to Gain From Small Business Saturday

Hands weary from the weight of Black Friday shopping bags, Ames consumers are sure to find a slower pace at Ames Main Street businesses throughout the holiday weekend.

Downtown businesses will be open as usual on Friday and again on Saturday in what is being advertised nationally as Small Business Saturday. The national campaign has urged shoppers to buy local Saturday, even if it's just one thing.

Pat Redlinger, who owns , a jewelry and gift shop where people can find hundreds of gifts for less than $30, said the holiday weekend is typically busy for them. Families and their guests browse for ideas and buy a few things, too, she said.

“People bring their out-of-town guests to do some shopping and show off Main Street,” Redlinger said.

The district usually draws people from Ankeny and Des Moines because people enjoy being able to park for free and walk to shops along the street, she said.

“Some people don't like the frantic pace of the mall,” Redlinger said.

Kristian Kline, co-owner of , hopes that some holiday shoppers will find their way to her new store that offers hand-made items and second-hand clothes.

“We're not open at 4 a.m., but we're here during normal business hours Friday,” she said.

The boutique opened two weeks ago and will be open on Saturday, as well.

, which has been in the 300 block of Main Street since 1985, expects to see a few more shoppers over the holiday weekend, said owner Alan Munson. The store normally attracts out-of-town shoppers anyway because of its eclectic collection of clothing, books and toys.

“They're all things powered by the imagination, not batteries,” Munson said.

Not many downtown shops were advertising Small Business Saturday, but the Main Street Cultural District will be the site of a on Dec. 3. That event comes closer to the time that will see its holiday rush. The final two weeks before Christmas are always the busiest, owner Rick Swank said.

“That's when men start shopping,” he said.