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Small Business Holiday Shopping in Stroudsburg

STROUDSBURG — It certainly looks like the holiday shopping season on Main Street in Stroudsburg. The lights are lit. The businesses are open, and shoppers...

STROUDSBURG -- It certainly looks like the holiday shopping season on Main Street in Stroudsburg. The lights are lit. The businesses are open, and shoppers are buying.

This past Saturday was Small Business Saturday, a day when people are urged to shop at small, local businesses.

"Small Business Saturday was a huge success. It's so cool to see people coming together to support each other rather than just shopping at big name stores. We had so many warm bodies in the store that day,” said Laura Below of Main Street Jukebox in Stroudsburg.

Millions of Americans turned to their mobile devices and computers for online sales this Cyber Monday at big box and e-commerce stores, but business owners in the Poconos predict a great holiday shopping season at local shops, too.

"I think there's a great vibe this year. I think people are in the spirit. I feel like they're hopeful, and I think people want to connect with people in the community,” said Sharon Sinkevich, owner of The Apple Tree.

Workers at Main Street jukebox say there is a sense of community you get when shopping small and local.

"It's not just shopping. It's talking about music and experiencing it with other people who are interested rather than sitting at your computer and scrolling through and clicking 'add to cart.' It's a lot different when you have actual people you can talk with in the shop,” said Below.

People tell Newswatch 16 they definitely like to shop online for the holidays, but they also like to come to small businesses to get a feel for what they are buying.

"I like coming in person to stores because you can see stuff in your hand, especially like the record store. You want to pick it up and see if it has scratches or what the condition is or which edition it is, which you don't necessarily get to see online, and I can have it right now,” said Gus Karlson of Henryville.

At Carroll & Carroll books, the owners agree. Shopping in stores gives you something you cannot get online, like in-person expertise.

"There are people who know the history of their product or the things they sell and can lead you to things that you might not know have existed because they've sold them in the past, whether it's a year ago or 20 years ago," said Lisa Carroll.

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