Following the traditional biggest retail-shopping day of the year — Black Friday —there is a shopping holiday meant just for the small, locally owned businesses that are the backbone of communities like Vicksburg.
Small Business Saturday is a day to patronize local stores across Vicksburg from Frontage Road to Washington Street, and everywhere in between.
The shopping excitement will continue downtown Sunday, when the shops really kick off the Christmas shopping season with Downtown Vicksburg’s 20th Annual Old-Fashioned Christmas Open House scheduled from 1:30 to 5 p.m.
Merle Norman Cosmetics- Belle Rose Salon & Spa is having its first holiday season on Washington Street.
“This is our first year downtown with Christmas since we were on Frontage Road for right at 15 years,” marketing coordinator Ashley Nevels said. “We’ll be getting new clothes in this week. I just got a shipment of more Merle items.”
Nevels said she loves the new location of the salon, spa, boutique and cosmetic store and is looking forward to a weekend of customers shopping local.
“I think people will be excited about sales because that is what they’re looking for,” Shoofly Shoes owner Patrice Rose said.
Shoofly Shoes is located inside the Merle Norman store.
Shanon Shealy, owner of The Dragonfly, is looking forward to another busy holiday shopping weekend this year.
“We’re hoping that it will be another successful year. It has been historically, and it definitely was last year. I think people get out and support the community,” she said. “We’ll have drawings for a door prize and some specials and discounts.”
The Sunday open house will be held in the vacant building at 1310 Washington St. next door to Art and Soul of the South, Shealy said.
According to a Facebook event, Santa will be downtown from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday. Plus, the first 100 shoppers to spend at least $25 in downtown Vicksburg Sunday can get a free poinsettia from the Vicksburg Main Street Association.
“That’s pretty neat because it doesn’t matter where you make your purchase. It’s first come, first served,” Shealy said.  The open house marks the first of four weeks of Sundays the downtown stores will be open for business.