MUSKEGON, Mich. — Once the leftover Thanksgiving food starts getting put into the refrigerator, many people immediately start thinking about holiday shopping. And over the last several years, there's been an increased focus on getting people to shop small during the holidays.
Downtown Muskegon business owners hope that getting in the holiday spirit will give people an extra incentive to give them a try.
This week, the Festival of the Wreaths started in Muskegon. It's an event that the Muskegon Museum of Art has organized the last few holiday seasons after the COVID-19 pandemic closed the museum during what would've been its annual Festival of Trees a few years ago.
During the Festival of Wreaths, designer wreaths are placed in the windows of downtown Muskegon businesses as a way to get visitors of the city to explore the downtown area.
Each wreath is being auctioned off. You can bid on a wreath you like by scanning a QR code that will be in the window next to it. Funding from sponsorship of the wreaths and the auction will support programming at the museum.
You can find a walking map on the museum's website.
According to the US Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, small businesses account for 47.9% of employment in Michigan. That exceeds the national share.
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