Local small businesses rarely get much out of Black Friday.

Small Business Saturday last week helped.

Now local retailers look forward to the rest of the Christmas shopping season.

And shoppers are eager to oblige.

“My Black Friday sales already started earlier this week,” said Lainie Lewis, owner of State Street Trading Company at 134 State Street in West Columbia.

At her shop Lewis sells jewelry, antique furniture pottery, paintings, photos, and Christmas ornaments. All of it created by local artisans, said Lewis.

Earlier, State Street Trading Co. hosted an Adluh Flour art show. From that, Lewis made pillows using Adluh flour sacks from the 1930s and 1940s.

“Those have been good sellers,” said Lewis. The pillows are a favorite for former employees of the business that has existed in Columbia’s Vista for generations.

Allison Cooner of West Columbia said she likes to shop all the specialty stores of West Columbia. She said The Eclectic House on Sunset Boulevard is a great place to find a unique gift.

“I love their selection,” Cooner said. “It’s certainly a different kind of place to look for gifts. They have things you won’t find at other places.”

Jennifer Jackson said the unique shops in West Columbia, especially those on State and Meeting streets, beckon gift-buyers who want to get out of the cookie-cutter routine.

“In shops like State Street Trading Company and Crafty Cottage on Meeting Street you can find one-of-a-kind items that you will not find anywhere else,” said Jackson.

A well-known West Columbia business that increases its sales numbers in the Christmas shopping season is the Old Mill Antique Mall on State Street, in the historic River District.

The antique mall sells a wide range of antiques, collectibles, and furniture by over 80 dealers, all in the same building.

The Old Mill Antique Mall is owned by Margaret Causey, and it’s been around for more than 30 years. It is billed as one of the best places for holiday shopping. Milk glass and ceramic Christmas trees are popular items sold for the season.

Local shopping was reflected in the nation, too.

Retailers reported a surge in online shopping and higher spending although foot traffic to traditional stores continued to fall.

Traffic to U.S. stores fell between 5% and 9% compared with the same days last year, estimated RetailNext.

The service uses cameras to track shoppers in malls and stand-alone stores.

ShopperTrak estimated traffic fell less sharply, about 1% last week from a year ago.

Many larger stores put their best deals on their websites and more consumers shopped on their phones.

Internet sales last week jumped 26.4% from a year earlier to $12.3 billion, estimated Adobe Systems Inc.