GREEN BAY — It's the last weekend of holiday shopping and local businesses have one last request before all gifts are purchased.
During a typical holiday, Beerntsen's Candies is filled with more than just the sweet aroma of chocolate.
Mark Beerntsen, a third generation owner of Beerntsen's Candies, said December is one of the most profitable times of the year for the Green Bay business. Despite the pandemic, Beerntsen said that's holding true this season too.
"Foot traffic has been really good. Especially on Saturday and Sunday," Beerntsen said.
That hasn't always been the case this year. Beerntsen said in-person sales have fluctuated since March, with the lowest sales during the first few months of the pandemic.
Within the last few weeks, Beerntsen said foot traffic has increased close to the normal amount they'd see around the holidays. He expects that momentum to continue this weekend.
"Money you spend local stays local and it helps other businesses," Beerntsen said. "Without it, the way things are, a lot of businesses could go out of business."
Beerntsen said online sales have increased significantly. This past Easter - another busy time for the candy store - Beerntsen said staff packed and shipped an "astronomical" amount of product all around the country.
For many local shops, the challenges won't end after the holidays.
"It's not uncommon for that January through March period to sort of be a retail slump," said Brian Johnson, executive director of On Broadway Inc.
With an anticipated slow down for retailers and loss of profit due to the pandemic, Johnson said it's even more crucial to shop local this holiday.
"That money gets recycled back into our community at a much higher rate than what you see from national chains," Johnson said. "I think it's really important for the long term health of our community that we find ways to support these small businesses."
A partnership between Downtown Green Bay, Inc., Olde Main Street, Inc., On Broadway, Inc., the Military Avenue Business District, the City of Green Bay, and Fox Communities Credit Union helped highlight local businesses for Small Business Saturday at the beginning of the month to bring in more customers.
People can also use the ShopHere app to browse through locally owned stores from the comfort of their own home. Users can scroll through different shops and items, pay through the app and pick up products curbside.
Beerntsen said if foot traffic continues like it has lately, the shop could be on track to see similar sales as last year.
But they're not out of the woods quite yet.
"Nothing matters until after Christmas to see where your business is at," Beerntsen said.
The candy store also expects the week leading up to Christmas to be a busy one.
Nearly 95 percent of candy at Beerntsen's Candies is made in house. The shop is still offering curbside pickup in addition to in-person and online shopping.
