Florida businesses are hoping for a boost from record buyers

WINTER PARK, Fla. – The holiday shopping season is here and purchases over the Thanksgiving weekend are expected to be record-breaking.

According to the National Retail Federation, 183.4 million shoppers are expected to participate in person and online.

Black Friday is still a big deal when it comes to holiday shopping, and Winter Park’s Park Avenue stores are proof of that.

It’s the kind of foot traffic that can prove to be a big deal for small businesses like Tugboat & The Bird.

“I appreciate that. I appreciate that they took the time to choose us out of all the other retailers they could go to, where their kids could shop, where they could buy clothes, and they choose us,” said Kim Towers , manager of Tugboat & The Bird . “I am so grateful. I love that you’re here.”

Towers has worked in retail management most of her life, but said she just took over Tugboat, a baby boutique that sells clothing, toys and accessories for a variety of ages in Winter Park.

She said she’s looking forward to making a splash in a store that Park Avenue regulars already know.

“Tugboat & The Bird is such an iconic store,” Towers said. “We have been here for 22 years and the opportunity came when the offer came to move as manager. I mean, I didn’t even have to think twice about it.”

According to the National Retail Federation, 131.7 million of this year’s shoppers will shop on Black Friday, 65% of them in person.

So Towers wanted to make sure she could appeal to the masses.

“We decided to offer a 20% discount on the entire store,” she said. “And when I tell you we’ve never done this before, when I tell you we’ve been here 22 years, that’s a big deal.”

Towers said the feedback has already been great and she hopes it carries over to Small Business Saturday, where the deals continue and a few more deals are added.

But it does so by sticking to its model of treating those who come through its doors not as customers but as guests.

“I want you to interact. It is not a transaction but an interaction. So I want you to build a relationship with them,” Towers said. “Know their names, know the names of their children.”

The NRF also says holiday spending is expected to reach an all-time high, with each person expected to spend $902 on gifts, food and decorations.