MADISON, Wis. — State Street was buzzing with music and foot traffic for Small Business Saturday.
The Angela Puerta Band played at the top of State Street as people gathered around. A little girl stood in the middle of a circle, dancing with her dad.
Downtown was busy on Saturday. Shops were getting lots of foot traffic.
Stacey Scannell owns The Soap Opera.
“Everybody walks in and is like, ‘Whoa, it smells so good in here,'” she laughed. “It just bring me so much joy, honestly.”
She had a steady stream of customers all morning.
“2020 was insane, obviously, for everybody. But I feel like this year has been extremely positive, especially downtown,” she said. “I've noticed so many more people coming down here. It's been super busy on the weekends.”
Scannell feels lucky that she’s avoided supply chain issues some shops are currently facing.
“We make a lot of our stuff; I would say 70% of our store is made in-house,” she said. “A lot of it, we can just whip up and make sure that we have it in stock for people. People are really appreciative of that this year.”
It means the world to her to see so many people really care about supporting small businesses.
“I started coming to Madison at a younger age. And I saw the community really rallying around small businesses, and working together to create a beautiful community,” Scannell said. “So I moved down here, right when I turned 18, right after high school, because I was like, 'I want to be a part of that.”'
The Downtown Madison Open House continues Sunday.