LYNCHBURG, Va. – Christmas is right around the corner, and more than half of Americans are expected to finish their holiday shopping today. According to the National Retail Federation 42 percent of shoppers still don't know what to buy their loved ones. Half of last-minute shoppers will get their gifts online and 14 percent will look to small businesses.
In the Hill City, small business owners say the numbers have been great and shoppers have been really supportive.
“For instances I had customers this morning they were all looking for unique gifts. And I think that's really where, brick and mortars, why we stay strong and exist. When you're looking for that gift you’re going to make a connection for that loved one, or even for a really good friend. I think going out and finding it is a little bit more fulfilling,” Stephanie Atkinson, manager of Live Trendy or Die, Windblown Apothecary, and the Conscious Mercantile shops, said.
Shop owners say constantly posting products on social media and word of mouth helps small businesses around the holidays as well.