On Small Business Saturday, Vendors Urge Buyers To Shop Local This Holiday Season

It's Small Business Saturday and one nonprofit is encouraging Oklahomans to shop local this holiday season.

The Holiday Pop-Ups in Midtown opened up Black Friday and patrons were out enjoying the shops all day Saturday.

“You kind of feel like you’re in a little holiday village,” Cléo Nash, Executive Director of the Independent Shopkeepers Association, said of the pop-up market.

“The thing that we love about our shop is to be able to make gifting easier,” Logan McAlister, owner of Parcel, said. “A lot of people will just shop on Amazon but we want to help people give gifts that are actually thoughtful.”

McAlister runs the small business with his wife, Paige.

“Paige and I are very passionate about people coming in and we ask them questions to learn about who they’re gifting for,” McAlister said.

Whether shoppers are looking for a gift for someone else or themselves, the McAlisters recommend shopping local.

“If you want something unique it’s easiest to shop local,” McAlister said.

“It’s a lot more personal,” Nash said. “You get to meet the owner and learn why they are selling what they are selling.”

Nash says shopping local doesn't just benefit the owner.

“When you spend a hundred dollars at a local shop, so much more of it goes back into your community,” she said. ”You’re going to re-invent in your community. These are your neighbors, these are your friends that are business owners.”

The Holiday Pop-Ups in midtown shine a spotlight on Oklahoma's small businesses.

“They are the face of our community,” Nash said. “They are what makes our city great.”

“One thing I love about this is we kind of get to show the love of our area and our love for the state,” McAlister said. “It brings together some of the most prominent shops that really care about our city.”

The holiday market is located in the shadow the metro skyline, on the corner of NW 10th and Hudson in Midtown.

It will run through December 17th. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Nash says the vendors will rotate out weekly.