Pueblo merchants are ready to help customers navigate the holiday gift-giving season with bountiful opportunities to shop those traditional post-Thanksgiving sales including Black Friday and Small Business Saturday.

As Puebloans prepare to celebrate, Brian Estrada from the Southern Colorado Small Business Development Center reminds shoppers that, “Supporting local businesses helps to circulate more money within your community.”

“When you make a purchase at a local small business, 45 cents of every dollar is reinvested locally.  This means that as money circulates through the local economy, a greater number of our friends and neighbors reap the benefits,” Estrada explained.

At the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, supporting local and small businesses is a year-round endeavor, however, “Small Business Saturday, on Nov. 25th marks an extra special day for not just our members, but our community as a whole, as its entire purpose is to shed light on shopping small and shopping locally,” said Cara Siegel, marketing and engagement coordinator for the chamber. “We encourage everyone within the city to shop in Pueblo, and help to be a driving force for our economy this holiday season.”

Gifting outside the box

Some local chamber businesses that are gearing up for Small Business Saturday sales are those that offer different ideas for gift giving like the gift of health, precious family photos, sustenance, locally-made crafts or home improvements.

• At Pueblo Pilates, 224 S. Victoria Ave., the gift of health comes through reformer pilates exercises, most of which are performed lying down, reclining or seated, even the cardio. The relatively low-impact, yet still weight-bearing exercises are ideal for all ages, according to the business website.

• At Lepik Photography, the husband and wife shutterbug team of Josh and Kristan Lepik are offering Christmas mini sessions on Nov. 25. The sessions can be booked online at lepikphotography.com.

• The family-owned Love Mug Coffee Shop at 975 U.S. Highway 50 in Pueblo has sustenance-based gifts covered from coffee and smoothies to homemade meals.

• When it comes to locally-made crafts, The Lil’ Cottage Gift Shop, 959 U.S. 50 West, is open from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and features 30 local crafters who make everything from woodworking and art to jewelry and crocheted products. Sterling’s Leather, 127 E. Abriendo Ave., offers custom-leather items, jewelry, vintage clothing and more.

• The Steel City Art Works gallery, 216 S. Union Ave., also has local handmade creations. A total of 40 local artists showcase their work at the gallery.

Hours for “Plaid Friday,” and Small Business Saturday are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 24 and Nov. 25, while hours for “Artists Sunday” are noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26.

“We encourage buying local as doing so supports our community,” said Mo Keenan-Mason, gallery spokesperson. “Our Holiday Boutique section has hand-painted cards, home decor such as wooden and metal Christmas trees, fridge magnets, fused glass and other ornaments, doll sculptures and candy cane earrings — it runs the gamut.”

Pueblo West options

• In Pueblo West, High Plains Flooring and Blinds at 184 Tiffany Drive, #102 in Pueblo West, is open Saturday and offers everything from carpet and wood flooring to area rugs and window coverings.

• Another Small Business Saturday one-stop-shop in Pueblo West will be set up at Aura Salon, 328 S. McCulloch Boulevard East, where the “Jingle, Jingle, Let’s Mingle” event runs from noon to 3 p.m. Nov. 25. The event will include a bunch of small business vendors, giveaways, snacks, drinks and more.

Local small businesses participating in the event include Goldie’s Permanent Jewelry, Pueblo Charcuterie, Rustic River Creations, Mountain Girl Boutique, the Mother Smothers Food Truck and Bella Rosa Floral Design.

Pueblo Charcuterie was started by David Mondragon Lopez and his wife Charlotte in 2020 when it was a part-time small business pursuit.

“But this year we have really kicked off by getting certified and licensed and renting the commercial kitchen at Rocky Mountain SER,” Lopez said. “This season we are getting a lot of holiday orders and our Christmas tree charcuterie board is in pretty high demand.”

“They are so easy to put down on a table and definitely a great thing to have at the holidays. We try to use the best ingredients for our orders,” Lopez explained.

The couple can make the customized boards within 48 to 72 hours of the order being placed and they can be small enough for intimate family gatherings or large enough for holiday parties, weddings or graduations. Pueblo Charcuterie has online gift cards available through its website pueblocharcuterie.com and also will have physical gift certificates for sale at the Small Business Saturday event.

To find out more, call 719-671-5234.

The Sacred Bean marks a milestone

Another local sustenance and gift stop will be offered at the Sacred Bean, 209 S. Union Ave., which is open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Sacred Bean celebrates Black Friday and Small Business Saturday with 20% off merchandise as well as bags of tea and coffee.

The business also is celebrating its one year anniversary inside its brick and mortar location on Sunday when customers can get all sorts of appreciation awards from fit cards to cookies.

“We will be doing a huge giveaway all morning on the 26th, offering gift cards from local businesses as well as our shop’s art, merch and more,” said Vicy Stone, owner. “We will number each award item and put correlating numbers on the bottom of cups.”

“We will mix up the cups and randomly give out the prizes that way. I was honestly concerned about whether we would make it our first year in business but it’s been so busy that we consistently have a line out the door almost every day,” a thankful Stone told the Chieftain.

Pueblo Mall has Santa

Pueblo Mall, 3429 Dillon Drive, also is set to offer plenty of sale options on Black Friday. Hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 24.

Santa Claus is due to arrive in style on some special wheels at 10 a.m. Friday. The “Upon a Star Christmas Carolers” will lead Santa to Santa’s Village in the J.C. Penney court, said Cara Fitzgerald, Pueblo Mall spokesperson.

Special Santa events include the 4 p.m. Nov. 27, Dec. 4 and Dec. 11 pet photo sessions. The sensory-friendly Santa event is set for 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 3 when a music-free, dim-light gathering makes meeting the jolly elf less stressful.

Community groups will give free holiday-themed performances starting Dec. 2.

Big Box Black Friday deals

Black Friday specials also are in the offing at many of Pueblo’s Big Box stores.

Walmarts at 4200 Dillon Drive, 4080 W. Northern and 2730 S. Prairie in Pueblo as well as 78 N. McCulloch in Pueblo West all are set to offer Black Friday sales. Sales also are slated to happen at Target, 3300 Dillon Drive, Best Buy at 5890 N. Elizabeth and Kohls at 5627 N. Elizabeth.

More local business news:A barrel of fun: Barrel Brothers Liquor moves to new Pueblo location, doubles size

Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or via X, formerly Twitter, at twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.