Customers, business owners in Media keep the heart of the community beating strong on Small Business Saturday
MEDIA, Pa. (CBS) -- Black Friday has passed but on Saturday the big deals continued with Small Business Saturday. It was a day for people to give back to their communities by celebrating small, locally-owned shops.
41-year-old Maggie Pasciak has dreamed of running her own coffee shop ever since she emigrated from Poland.
"When I first came to the United States, that was 2004, I really fell in love with the whole coffee shop culture here in the United States," she said.
The married mother of two is the owner of Cafesphere on State Street in Media, which just opened last month. Her cafe is among dozens of shops in the business district enjoying a boost in sales.
"Today is Small Business Saturday and it's our first one," Pasciak said. "It means a lot to me."
It was also busy at Three Potato Four, a gift shop down the street from Cafesphere. Lots of people use Small Business Saturday to get their holiday shopping in.
"So many people buy on Amazon and big box stores and the small stores," Louis Martini said.
To encourage people to shop, the Media Business Authority arranged for free kettle corn on the sidewalk and free street parking in the borough through Sunday.
For many companies, this weekend kicks off the critical holiday season that can make or break their year.
"We've been in business. We're a husband and wife. Me and my husband live in this town and it's just important to support small shops," Janet Morales, owner of Three Potato Four, said. "Like, they make the heart of the community."
Keeping the heart of the community beating strong is what this day was all about.
"We're trying to offer new things," Pasciak said. "We're trying to continuously improve our service."
Pasciak said she's grateful for the community support as she works on taking her business to the next level.
