PORTLAND, Ore. — It’s the Saturday before Christmas, and some Portlanders are still searching for the perfect stocking stuffer.
The National Retail Federation estimates 149 million Americans are shopping this "Super Saturday" in person. Here in Portland, shoppers are flocking to the last day of Portland’s Saturday Market before it shuts down until March.
Laura Waite said she’s spent the last 53 years here and has made visiting the market on the Saturday before Christmas a yearly tradition.
“It's a Portland tradition, and I love it. We are here for the 'festival of the last minute'; that’s what they used to call it,” Waite said.
Waite said she stopped shopping with big retailers years ago in favor of somewhere closer to home.
“It's so important to shop local, to support your local businesses and your local artisans," Waite said.
Shoppers told KGW that they also love how personal gifts can be when coming from a regional artist.
“I always know it’s here, and it’s a great place to find unique gifts and local art,” said Erin Deklotz, who's been living in Portland for 31 years.
Shoppers aren’t only heading downtown but to the neighborhoods, where small business owners are also feeling love.
“I think it was a little quieter over the summer than usual — maybe one of the quieter summers, but it’s picked up starting around November," said Mark Bitterman, owner of The Meadow. "It’s been wild — ever since we’ve had this shop in particular here on Hawthorne Boulevard next to Powell's, it's just gone crazy.”
Shopper John Saven told KGW that he has all his presents for his grandkids but is still on the lookout for stocking stuffers for his wife.
He added he makes an effort to stop by shops in his neighborhood.
“We need to develop the economy, and small shops are a great way of doing it,” he said.