Business owners in Pottsville said they noticed more people in their stores during Small Business Saturday.
"It wasn't nuts in here, but we had more people in here who haven't been in here before," Michelle Schuettler, owner of The Dirty Dog Self-Service Pet Wash & Boutique, 217 N. Centre St., said.
Most of the items in the store on sale Saturday were 20 percent off.
Small Business Saturday, a national event, was sponsored by American Express and was meant to highlight the importance of small businesses.
This is the first time the event has been held in the city. The event was held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and included holiday-themed activites.
"I think this is a great idea. It makes people aware of things that they didn't know were here," Schuettler said.
There were 25 locations participating in the city, where attendees could register for a raffle to win a $100 gift card from the Pottsville Business Association or a chance to win one of 20 $25 gift cards from American Express. The winners will be announced at 7 p.m. Tuesday at The Greystone.
Lois Prestileo, Pottsville, stopped in at Murphy Jewelers, 115 W. Market St., to look at jewelry. She didn't buy anything but did see a gold necklace she liked.
She bought a CD at the Schuylkill County Historical Society earlier in the day.
She liked the idea of promoting what the city has to offer.
"I think it's nice to support local businesses," she said.
Her son, Rick Prestileo, also thought it was a good idea.
"If you don't support it, it disappears," he said of small businesses.
Patrick Murphy, owner of Murphy Jewelers, said the foot traffic increased in his store.
"It helped bring people out," he said. All items in the store were discounted 10 percent.
More people also walked through the doors of the Schuylkill County Historical Society at 305 N. Centre St., according to Dave Derbes, president of the historical society. He said five to 10 people stop on a typical day, but 75 stopped on Saturday.
Amy S. Burkhart, executive director of the Pottsville Area Development Corp., heard nothing but good things about the initiative.
"We are pleased with the feedback we are getting from people," she said.
Also participating was the Pottsville Free Public Library, where authors, local and from surrounding counties, were talking about their books.
The holiday events took place throughout the day. There was the Christmas program sponsored by the Pottsville Recreation Commission, which included the singing of Christmas carols at the First United Methodist Church, 330 W, Market St., the lighting of the Christmas tree in the square, the fire truck parade with Santa Claus and the mayor's Christmas party at the Humane Fire Company.