Magers & Quinn made it through Uptown challenges. Now it's hoping the holidays are kind.

Denny Magers has been through a lot.

His Magers & Quinn Booksellers turned 30 years old in August, just as homelessness, vandalism, robberies, store closings and street construction took their toll on Uptown.

"We're not immune from what's going on around here. It's affected us. Sure. We've had our own issues in house, problems with people off the street and things that we never experienced four or five years ago. It's been difficult," Magers said.

Still, he considers himself and his 40 employees lucky that customers and fans of independent shops rallied. The business sustained its revenue, even nudging a bit higher than last year at this time. He's counting on his customers' continued support this Small Business Saturday and hopes locals who have never visited will come, shop and make the season a little brighter after so much stress.

"A lot of people, even nearby us, haven't experienced [the store] yet," he said.

The fresh attention that the state, U.S. Small Business Administration and economic boosters like the Minneapolis Downtown Council, chambers of commerce and Lake Street Council are placing on Small Business Saturday has not gone unnoticed and is greatly appreciated, business owners say.

"There are a lot of retailers in town that are struggling. And they really do need the support anywhere it can come from," Magers said.

While Black Friday is seen as the premier day for big box retail shoppers on the day after Thanksgiving, the Saturday shines a light on millions of small, independent stores. So all the entities promoting Small Business Saturday and Shop Local campaigns "deserve a pat on the back," Magers said. "I applaud them for their efforts. It's not an easy thing to gin up excitement about."

Since American Express launched it 15 years ago, Small Business Saturday has grown into a $17 billion national movement — one that tiny shops, sole proprietors and municipalities increasingly depend upon as they sprint toward the end of the year.

"Consumer-reported spending related to Small Business Saturday is really huge, huge, huge," said Brian McDonald, the U.S. Small Business Administration's Minnesota director. "It's invaluable and vital for businesses and specifically for our businesses [in Minnesota]."

McDonald and nearly a dozen city, chamber and state officials this month and next are visiting, shopping and promoting small businesses in St. Joseph and along Lake Street in Minneapolis. The group plans stops at Magers & Quinn, Ingebretsen's Scandinavian Gifts, Midtown Global Market and Mercado Central, among others.

Last year they were joined by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and visited Wood from the Hood, Corazon gift store and small manufacturers that transformed that Wood from the Hood into gifts and store counters.

"We just want to promote what we are calling the 'Season of Small Business.' It's just a great window to support small businesses in our community," McDonald said. "A lot of business associations have been leveraging this spotlight."

The idea behind Small Business Saturday "has definitely grown," especially after the pandemic, when so many small firms were forced to rethink their businesses in order to survive. Consumers and boosters rethought how they wanted to spend their dollars to ensure their favorite little hot spots didn't shut, said Andy Donahue, director of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development's Small Business Development Center.

"We're starting to see it jet out even more throughout the holiday season and beyond," Donahue said. "For every dollar that's usually spent on small businesses, 67 percent stays in the state and the local communities."

Magers & Quinn is closed Thanksgiving, then throws open the doors on Friday and Saturday, said marketing director Annie Metcalf. "Like many retailers, this time of year is when we make our money," she said.

Watching employees arrange Christmas display tables and wreaths and unload new inventory into place, Magers said he's ready.

"When you're in retail, you'll always hope that the next season will be better than the last Christmas season," he said. If it's a strong season, that will not only keep the doors open but help him hire more employees, he said.

To lend its support, the Lake Street Council bought thousands of gift cards from local vendors. As part of its Lake Street Loyalty Challenge, the council is giving a $15 gift card to shoppers who spend at least $15 at another Lake Street shop. It's also entering participating shoppers into a raffle for $1,000 worth of gift certificates from various Lake Street stores. That's double the amount of last year's grand prize.

"Shopping locally during the holiday season is powerful," said Julian Ocampo, vice president of the family-owned Los Ocampo restaurant chain, which is participating in the Lake Street Loyalty Challenge. "You are not only getting unique gifts, but your dollars stay in the community and support small businesses, employees and neighborhoods. We hope this challenge inspires more Minnesotans to shop small on Lake Street."

The idea of shopping locally for the holidays is hot statewide, SBA and state officials say. Municipalities, chambers and business associations promote the concept with special events featuring area entrepreneurs.

St. Joseph has its Shop Small Crawl. Duluth sponsors its Bentleyville light show and highlights "shop small" events.

In St. Paul, the Summit Hill Association is marketing Small Business Saturday and the Grand Meander festival one week later with 80 businesses along historic Grand Avenue. A mile away in the Midway district, Black Garnet Books on University Avenue is offering 10% discounts on $50 orders on Small Business Saturday. It's also planning a book giveaway fair a few days later in connection with Little Free Library and Flava Cafe.

This year will be its third holiday season since opening.

"For Small Business Saturday, people came in. They supported us. It was generally a good day," said Garnet store clerk Joey Santo Domingo.

The idea of supporting small shops during the holidays mushroomed as small bookstores closed across the nation with the rise of big box stores and Amazon. This campaign brings more of the focus back to tiny shops like Black Garnet, Santo Domingo said.

Now the idea is everywhere. The Minneapolis Downtown Council is showcasing at least four Christmas markets featuring 200 artists and area vendors in the weeks after Thanksgiving.

They will sell gifts and other merchandise at pop-up stores set up inside City Center, Dayton's Project, IDS Tower and the YMCA buildings along Nicollet Mall.

Donahue at DEED said he isn't surprised that there are more markets this year.

He has seen the "domino effect" of these efforts across the state, in St. Cloud, Waite Park, St. Joseph and "in the Duluth, Hermantown, Proctor/Cook area as well, here in northern Minnesota." The popularity of holiday shop-local efforts, he said, "shows the power of small business."