DAVENPORT, Iowa -- With Christmas just four weeks away, instead of five weeks in 2018, the holiday shopping season is shorter than last year.
Local businesses, like Theo and Co., say it's ready for shoppers, ahead of Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.
Annie Stopulos, owner of Theo and Co., says she didn't realize there was such a quick turnaround and hopes people choose to shop local.
"The more you shop local, the more you're putting money into the community's pockets," Stopulos says. "You're not giving it to the head of Amazon.com and big box stores. You're supporting our families."
Quad City shoppers will have the opportunity to benefit from shopping local on November 29th and 30th, 2019, as Davenport and Rock Island host "That Dam Shopping Trip."
The shopping event features 12 downtown businesses on both sides of the lock and dam. Customers will get a shopping guide at each store, and if they collect them all, they could win $1,200 in gift certificates.
Rebecca Nicke, co-owner at Abernathy's, says that this is the store's first holiday season at their new location after the Spring 2019 flood, and she's excited about being near other small businesses, like 392 Coffee and Doodads, this season.
She hopes customers come out to support local businesses, not just for good deals and longer hours, but because people actually care about the community.
"If (customers) find value in what we do, what the coffee shop does, what Doodads does, then using your dollars as your voice is the important thing you can," Nicke says.
Abernathy's isn't offering a special promotion, but the store will still include from their regular sale items and feature local artists and clothing designers like Death Stitch.
Theo and Co. does have special giveaways and deals, but says that the small businesses can't afford to have big sales like large retailers.
"It's not realistic to compare small businesses and owners and those deals to big box retailers," Stopulos says.
The shop hop takes place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, and no purchase is necessary at each store.
