ROCHESTER, N.Y. — With one of the biggest retail weekends fast approaching, some Monroe County businesses are adjusting to being in the orange zone.​

On a normal year, the owner of Rochester boutique Shop Peppermint, Tanvi Asher, would be helping host a large artisan event on Small Business Saturday. But this isn’t a normal year, so the market had to be canceled.

What You Need To Know

  • Some Monroe County businesses are adjusting to being in the orange zone

  • The owners of Shop Peppermint and JamJam Creative Things are both encourage one thing: shopping local

  • Businesses must work to control numbers in her own store this holiday weekend

“Those artists look forward to this market, that’s their main source of income sometimes. And for them, it kicks off the holiday season as well," Asher said.

Instead, she’ll have to work to control numbers in her own store this holiday weekend, as it’s in Monroe County’s orange zone. She wants shopping local to be a safe experience for all.

“We’re only allowing six shoppers at a time, and when six people are in here, we lock the door," Asher said. "We ask everyone to sanitize, masks are of course mandatory.”

Others like Jamie Barbara, the owner of JamJam Creative Things, are poised for a holiday weekend of shopping without in-person shopping at all.

“You get to personalize your message online, and connect one-on-one with people through likes, comments, and stories,” Barbara said.

Barbara started her business during the height of the pandemic, and sells handmade jewelry, candles, and other crafts online on Etsy and Instagram.

“I started it as a way to stay creative, have some fun while I’m at home and stay in touch with the community,” Barbara said.

But whether online or in-person, both women encourage one thing: shopping local.

“In a world of mass-produced items, why not have one thing made just for you? Something made by an artist with their hands, that’s authentic,” Barbara said.

And because of the pandemic, that’s something they say that’s more important than ever.

“You can’t Amazon the local economy, and that’s what’s most important. For every $100 a person spends locally, $70 stays in the community,” Asher said.