Whether it’s the deals she offered or just the community stepping up to the plate, Sweet Pete’s owner Allison Behringer says Small Business Saturday was a great success.

“Triple to quadruple what a normal Saturday would be,” she says.

Until a few years ago, the focus of this weekend kicking off the holiday shopping season had always been chains and big business.  The small business focus, first sponsored by American Express, is now reminding communities about the business in their own backyards.

“We just have customers that are so loyal and so supportive and do take the extra effort to support their small businesses,” Behringer says.

Sweet Pete’s is a specialty candy store with two locations, the main one in Springfield.  Behringer says when she opened up shop just over two years ago she had very modest projections, but business has boomed and she credits a lot of that to both her specialty product and the patrons.

Only in the last year or two has she really tried to promote Small Business Saturday.

“It’s a really great thing for us, it’s become one of the bigger days of the year,” she says.

While some of the other small business owners she has spoken with didn’t seem to have quite the same level of success, Behringer says it’s all about what you put in to the day.  Specials, discounts, and activities helped her get just as much out.