Nov. 25—Fleet Feet in West Reading was packed on Saturday morning, one of many businesses in the community's downtown that saw big crowds for Small Business Saturday.

The sneaker and athletic apparel store's general manager, Jason Corby, attributed the large turnout in part to the sales that West Reading businesses held and promoted for the weekend.

Even moreso, though, Corby thinks shoppers are growing more aware of the value of patronizing smaller, locally-owned businesses, and came to West Reading to kick off the holiday shopping season.

"When you spend money here you are helping out people who live in your community," he said.

There are also other benefits to patronizing locally owned businesses, said Tina Shenk, president of The Love Team of West Reading, a nonprofit that works to enhance to borough's business community.

Not only does the money spent in those businesses ripple through the local economy, most small business owners are passionate and knowledgeable about what they do,she said. They employ workers educated in what they're selling, and are well-suited to making customers happy, she said.

"It's more than buying something there. It's an experience," she said.

Fleet Feet, for example, for two years running has been named to the top 50 among the 900 running stores across the country, Corby said. The store properly fits customers using high-tech equipment and the knowledge of its staff, a number of whom are running enthusiasts themselves, he said.

Many of the West Reading businesses promoted their weekend specials on social media, through emails, and in newsletters, which helped attract shoppers.

Among them were Samantha Boone of Spring City and her aunt, Sandy Luckenbill of Bowers, who each year hit a downtown shopping district on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, having visited Kutztown and Bethlehem in recent years.

They chose West Reading this year, and said they were happy they did, as they were finding things they couldn't get elsewhere, Boone said.

The two said buying things in person beats the online shopping experience, which is so impersonal. Getting outdoors and actually going into the stores is more fun, they said.

"And I like being able to give back to the local community, and seeing where the money is going," Boone said.

The consignment shop Lucky Finds was filled with shoppers all day Friday and started off well again Saturday, said owner Diana Maldonado.

She moved the business from Douglassville to West Reading in 2020, and the pandemic limited sales greatly, she said.