Holiday shopping weekend continues, this time with focus on local shops for Small Business Saturday

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's Small Business Saturday! It's time to show local shops some love.

The rain and online shopping have not stopped holiday shoppers. Experts expect about 166 million people to do their shopping this weekend.

ABC13 was at Galleria as many doors opened at 5 a.m. on Black Friday, and lines wrapped around the stores.

SEE MORE: Survey shows Houstonians are expected to spend nearly $1,600 per household this holiday season

Even though 42% of Houstonians said they're currently in a worse financial situation than in 2021, the survey found they plan to spend 14% more. Here's why.

Some local store owners hope some of that success translates to Small Business Saturday.

In Galveston County, some small business owners say they're seeing more sales than last year. They tell us they've been using social media to help spread the word.

Last year, shoppers spent about $23 billion on the Saturday holiday.

SEE RELATED: Houston's Top 10 Local Shops

Top 10 Local Shops in the Houston area

According to Bankrate, nearly 60% of Americans intend to shop small.

American Express says more than half of Gen-Z and Millennials actively search social media to discover new small businesses.

SEE ALSO: Houston small businesses remain open on Thanksgiving looking to boost their revenue

Many stores and businesses adjusted their hours to close early in light of the holiday, but for some local businesses, its business as usual.