Photo by Derek Redd Stella Boldrick looks through the clothes found at V.C. Wares at Wheeling’s Centre Market during Small Business Saturday.

WHEELING — Throngs of shoppers spent Saturday making sure at least part of their holiday spending stayed local, as Small Business Saturday brought them out in droves to locally owned stores.

Customers lined the sidewalks of Wheeling’s Centre Market, an epicenter of local shops selling everything from clothing to novelties to antiques to artwork. That scene was like so many around the Ohio Valley, as shoppers perused and purchased from smaller local establishments rather than big national chains or online.

V.C. Wares owner Amy Cordy walked through her Centre Market store Saturday morning, welcoming customers and chatting up regulars. Small Business Saturday isn’t just a big day for her. It’s her biggest sales day each year.

“November is huge,” she said. “It’s our biggest month.”

Throughout Saturday, she offered customers a “Holiday Cheer” pink drink as they browsed and the store featured sales promotions like coupons good for future visits through January. That added level of customer service is something Cordy hopes will leave a good impression for those who were walking into V.C. Wares for the first time Saturday.

“This is also a way to hopefully make an impact, so that people realize we need them all year long,” Cordy said.

The city of Wheeling gave its own boost to local businesses Saturday. Centre Market held a balloon drop Saturday morning to kick off the festivities. At Heritage Port, shoppers could take a break with some free ice skating on a synthetic rink. There also was free parking at the Intermodal Center along with shuttle stops at multiple spots around downtown.

Carly Wilson, who spent Saturday morning shopping around Centre Market, said Small Business Saturday was a great way to support neighbors and friends while discovering unique finds for holiday gifts.

“It’s about community and showing up for your people,” she said. “And I feel like Wheeling is so good at that, at lifting one another up, helping the people around you grow and just pouring directly into your community.

“It’s not like something that just came off of Amazon,” she said. “You really get to look and let something speak to you.”