WINTER PARK, Fla. — The holiday shopping season is here and purchases during the Thanksgiving weekend are projected to be record-breaking.

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

What You Need To Know

  • A record-breaking 183.4 million people expected to take part in in-person and online shopping during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend

  •  The National Retail Federation says 72% — or about 131.7 million — people are expected to make purchases on Black Friday

  • Small Businesses like Tugboat & The Bird in Winter Park are hoping their Black Friday deals will appeal to the masses

  • Holiday spending is expected to hit an all-time high with each person estimating to spend $902 on gifts, food and decorations

Black Friday is still a big deal when it comes to holiday shopping, and the Park Avenue shops in Winter Park are serving as proof.

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

“I appreciate that. I appreciate them taking the time in choosing us out of all the other retailers they could be visiting, where their kids could be shopping, where they could be shopping for clothes and they’re choosing us,” said Tugboat & The Bird Manager Kim Towers. “I’m so grateful. I love that you’re here.”

Towers has been in retail management most of her life but said she just took over at Tugboat, a baby boutique selling clothes, toys and accessories for different ages in Winter Park.

She said she is excited to make a splash in a store that Park Avenue regulars are already familiar with.

“Tugboat & The Bird is such an iconic shop,” Towers said. “It has been here for 22 years and the opportunity came when the offer was there to come on as manager. I mean, I didn’t even have to think twice.”

The National Retail Federation says that 131.7 million of this year’s shoppers will be shopping on Black Friday, with 65% of them doing so in-person.

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

“We decided that we’re going to do 20% off on the whole store,” she said. “And when I tell you that we’ve never done that before, when I tell you that we’ve been here for 22 years, that is a huge deal.”

Towers said the feedback has already been great, and she hopes it rolls into Small Business Saturday, where the deals continue plus a few more deals.

But she’s doing so by keeping her model of treating those that walk through her doors, not as customers, but as guests.

“I want you to interact. It’s not a transaction, it’s an interaction. So, I want you to build a relationship with them,” Towers said. “Know their names, know their children’s names.”

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