CROWN POINT |The city’s downtown bustled with activity Saturday as shop owners opened their doors to holiday visitors on Small Business Saturday.
The sunny, warm weather and the arrival of Santa Claus at the old Lake County Courthouse bolstered the day, on which shoppers are encouraged to support their local retailers.
“I’ve had people come in this morning for that reason — to support local businesses,” said Kari Bunde, owner of the Copper Butterfly at 120 S. Main St.
She said Small Business Saturday has always been a good day for her store, which carries a variety of artisan jewelry, home décor items and related gift merchandise. Coupled with a “fabulous Black Friday – the best I’ve had for a long time” Bunde said she has hope for a good holiday season.
The Copper Butterfly, in business since 1979, will cap the weekend with its Christmas open house from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.
Across the street, the old courthouse wasn’t just the destination for Santa on Saturday morning, but also hosted the city’s Winter Market for vendors to sell their wares. Customers browsed tables on the second and third floors of the courthouse, while the permanent shops downstairs took advantage of the market traffic and the day’s small-business focus.
“It’s a good day; it has a great feel,” said Cyndi Horn, owner of Mescolare, a gourmet food and gift shop whose name is Italian for “to mix.”
“It creates a great environment, to focus on this beautiful building,” she said of the day’s activities.
Horn said this is her fourth Christmas season as a business owner, and she appreciates the boost from Small Business Saturday, which was initiated by American Express in 2010.
“We’re a small business that supports small business,” Horn said. Many of Mescolare’s food items are Indiana-made.
Horn added that the courthouse shops will be open from noon to 4 p.m. Sundays during the holiday season.
Friends Diane Cunningham, of Hebron, and Donna Dyer, of Lowell, came to town for the Winter Market.
“We kind of like the crafty-looking things,” Dyer said of their focus. But the pair took advantage of the good weather to explore further.
“I haven’t been in a lot of these stores so we’re walking around stopping inside,” Cunningham said as they made their way down Main Street.
At the corner of Main and Joliet streets, in the old People’s State Bank building, Jason Sullivan tended to business at one of the square’s newest shops, Chemshaw 13 Donutz & Comics.
The donut counter enjoyed a regular Saturday morning rush, but unlike most Saturdays, it didn’t stop.
“We haven’t had a downtime this morning,” Sullivan said late in the morning.
Sullivan, a comic book expert and collector, and his wife, Lynette, a trained pastry chef, opened the business about eight weeks ago.
Sullivan said he hadn’t known about Small Business Saturday until a customer mentioned it to him, but he supported the local-focus of the effort.
“We really embraced local everything” when establishing the business, he said.
Crown Point resident Carol Yancey, waiting for her sister Barbara Gutridge in the old courthouse, said she likes supporting small, local businesses, and also enjoys the atmosphere.
“It’s just a quaint little place that people should support more,” she said.
Gutridge agreed. “They’re all decorated really nicely,” she said of the businesses. “It gets you in the spirit.”
Find the full article at: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/lake/old-courthouse-shoppers-do-justice-to-small-businesses/article_748b7bfe-4dd1-5bcb-bef4-951300ee650a.html