St. Charles, MO (KSDK) - The holiday season is now in full swing and that means, shopping. Back to back shopping holidays going from Black Friday to Small Business Saturday. The streets of downtown were bustling all day Saturday, but for those of you who have been down there, that's to be expected.

Christmas is kind of the thing in downtown St. Charles.

The Christmas cheer is out and about the district. For some Saturday was a breath of fresh air compared to Black Friday.

"Parking was difficult, lines were a bit of a battle, and everybody seemed to be in a huge rush," says shopper Jayme Smith.

Now on Small Business Saturday Smith and ladies in her family are keeping the tradition alive and hitting all the quaint shops of downtown St. Charles.

"People are friendlier and I don't know if that's due to the day or the location," says Smith.

"Our sales have been great," says Schmang's manager Sonja Desloge. "We've had nonstop customers to the point where we don't have time to eat."

Desloge says they had a great Black Friday and she's even had to overlap shifts just to handle the jam packed store.

And just next door at Master's Pieces fine jewelry and gifts...well, it's the same story.

"It was kind of crazy, so today it will kind of settle down and relax it will be more of a steady flow than erratic," says store owner Babette Bohnert-Hall.

She says she and other business owners welcome and appreciate the slightly more relaxed atmosphere.

"The people who are coming to St. Charles, it's a destination," says Bohnert-Hall.

"I love being down here and St. Charles is unique for Christmas," says Desloge.

These stores will be open until 9 o'clock Friday and for the next several weeks will be open late on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

 

KSDK