BUTTE — Shop Small Saturday is a great time to get unique items for those on your Christmas list, and in Uptown Butte there are a few new shops that you need to check out this weekend.
"I’ve been kind of dying skeins, just kind of make some fun, interesting, you know, color combinations that other people can knit with or crochet with," says Betty Kujawa, the owner Snowdrift Alpacas and Friends.
Kujawa is a fiber artist and an alpaca farmer located in Butte, and it's her first time opening a holiday pop-up shop offering fiber arts as well as work made by her friends and family members.
"We are part of the community. We do live here too and we do want to offer fun and unique gifts that we put a lot of pride and love into making or creating," says Kujawa.
According to the Montana Arts Council and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, arts and cultural production account for over $2 billion and 3 percent of the Montana economy while contributing almost 17,000 jobs. Small art business owners say these facts are significant because the money spent in their shops stays within the local economy while also contributing to a sense of community.
"It just brings, like, a sense of community in a different way that big chains can’t give you," says Cassie Cardiello, a local artist.
Cardiello is the owner of Dandelion Salad—an art, home, and vintage shop located on Main Street. It’s just her second week in business and she is one of over 50 small businesses featured on the Chamber’s shop small event that gets thousands of holiday shoppers into Uptown Butte.
"It gets people out exploring. People discover businesses that they maybe weren’t really paying attention to and it’s inviting more business, bringing more business and it’s just all around a boon for the community," says Karlee Jane.
Jane owns Square Peg Framing located on Park Street. She shares her space with her partner, B.T. Livermore, a local artist featuring hand-painted signs.
Butte’s Shop Small Saturday retail event takes place across town and culminates with a giveaway featuring items from participating businesses. To enter the contest pick up a Shop Small card at any participating business and be present at the Elks Lodge on Montana Street for the drawing.
