With Christmas just days away, downtown Lansing small businesses are seeing a surge in foot traffic as neighbors rush to find the perfect last-minute gifts.
- Downtown Lansing small businesses say they are experiencing 3-4 times more foot traffic during the final weekend before Christmas
- Last-minute shoppers are choosing local retailers to support their community
- Business owners and customers emphasize the importance of shopping local to boost downtown Lansing's economy
WATCH: Downtown Lansing sees Christmas shopping surge
I stopped by Summit Comics and Gifts on Sunday to see how this final shopping stretch is impacting local retailers and the neighbors scrambling to check items off their holiday lists.
"Procrastinated my holiday shopping until four days before Christmas so today I really have to get every family member something," Lansing neighbor Sydney Meredith said.
Meredith got a late start to her holiday shopping, beginning at Summit on Sunday. The store's interim manager Marcus Embry says the difference in business during this final weekend is dramatic.
"I'd say at least three- to four times as much foot traffic. Maybe more than that in sales because our regulars are picking up more than they usually do, and the people who are stopping in for the first time are like, 'Hey, this would make a great gift,'" Embry said.
Embry says this final weekend before Christmas can make a big difference for a small business.
Among the shoppers was Danielle Hastings, who closed up at her business across the street and made her way to Summit to do some holiday shopping.
"Being a business owner you start understanding how important it is supporting small, how much of an impact that makes in your community. And just always love being able to help other small businesses," Hastings said.
Between store owners and shoppers, there's one message that kept coming up: Supporting local matters. For Meredith, that's exactly why she chose to spend her last-minute shopping downtown.
"Gotta promote businesses, especially downtown Lansing, where it's often kind of a ghost town sometimes. But people forget that there are really unique restaurants, businesses here so I like to stay local," Meredith said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want more FOX 47 News? Here's how you download our Roku app
You can also see the latest news from across our mid-Michigan neighborhoods by liking us on Facebook or following us on X.
