Black Friday during a pandemic means main streets like the one right in the middle of Valley Junction are filling up with shoppers.
And it's serving as a reminder that small businesses are counting on Iowans to keep their doors open.
"Valley Junction decided to do a whole weekend of small business," said Cindy Lane, owner of Cindy's Boutique.
Her shop has been in business for 22 years.
"We call it 'Small Business Weekend' because we're competing with the big box retailers," said Mint L.A. Boutique owner Rebekah Risbeck. "So we're really encouraging people to come out here and shop small this weekend.
Risbeck added that January and February are the slowest times for her, so the holiday season is incredibly important.
"I mean I like to support small businesses just because they're typically family owned, you know," said one shopper.
Nancy Spurgetis, another shopper, agreed.
"I know how hard it's been for everybody this year and so I just like to support them," she said.