Residents Shop Small on Saturday

While Black Friday showed the biggest dollar amount spent ever on the day, according to ShopperTrak, bringing in $11.4 billion for retailers nation-wide, Murrieta shoppers also opened their wallets for Small Business Saturday.

So much so that at least two shopkeepers could hardly slow down to grab lunch.

"Normally Saturdays are dead, but we have been busy all day," said Christie Christensen, owner of The Red Thread, a consignment store within in Historic Downtown Murrieta.

Christensen and shop associate Sharon Each got themselves a salad at about 3 p.m., as customers continued to wander through the doors.

Shopper Virginia Stratton browsed through the rooms of the shop, which takes up the first floor of the Doolittle House, built in 1882 and Murrieta's oldest standing home.

Stratton said she used to participate in Black Friday before she had five children, making her shopping list grow. It was her first time in the shop.

"There are all kinds of neat things," Stratton said. "I love all the handmade signs and jewelry."

She found a Bunco sign for her girlfriends who play the game, and some jewelry she said her 8-year-old would love.

"It's much more personalized, much quieter," she said, about shopping small.

Jessica Kingman of Wildomar brought her grandmother to the shop. They were making their rounds to what's known as "The Loop" in Historic Downtown.

"We're browsing, just trying to keep it local for Small Business Saturday," Kingman said.

Many of the items for sale are the products of local artisans, Christensen said.

"Our store supports all the local artisans. We buy things from seniors--we assist them by buying from them."

Christensen explained that there are six surviving antique/consignment stores in the downtown area: Murrieta Gardens Antiques & Treasures, The Red Thread, Home Again Consignments, Simply Friends, Cottage Charm and Miss Boclayvee's Boutique.

Instead of competing against each other, the owners meet once a week to plan sales strategies. They give fliers to customers with a map of other store locations, and share customers.

"We all have the same customers, but we have different products," Christensen said.

"If we don't have (what they are looking for), we'll call Denise at Home Again and send them over there."

They've also started a new campaign, "3-50," encouraging customers to pledge to spend $50 at three of the stores each month, she said.

"Because the corporate world, they are so vast and large they don't feel the hiccups as much as we do."

Small Business Saturday, which got its start this year by American Express OPEN, the company's small business unit, was the day to celebrate the Shop Small movement to drive shoppers to local merchants across the U.S.