Buy local movement saved many small Minnesota retailers
Small retailers, learning from 2020, hope increased support endures.
January 30, 2021 — 8:00am
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The buy local movement that crystallized during the holiday season saved several small retail shops in Minnesota that had dismal years because of the pandemic.
And those stores are hoping the movement stays alive in 2021 as the economy hopefully opens back up as enough people are vaccinated. The stores' fortunes are important since they fuel smaller retail areas from Stillwater and Excelsior to Grand Avenue in St. Paul and rural downtowns.
"People shopped local like they have never done before" during the holidays, said owner Bill Damberg, owner of Brightwater Clothing & Gear in downtown Excelsior. "I can't count the number of customers who said they wanted to patronize Excelsior stores. We have four blocks of small shops, no chains, and there's not a vacant space available on Main Street."