Hundreds of people visited downtown Suffolk on Saturday to shop small on what has become known as Small Business Saturday.

In addition to the small businesses located in permanent buildings along North Main Street and other downtown thoroughfares, shoppers got the chance to visit more than 20 merchant booths located in two vacant storefronts as well as in a tent on North Main Street. The (Re)Stored pop-up shop initiative also featured visits with Santa and live music.

“It’s huge to help small businesses,” said shopper Susan Wendt, who was with her husband, James, and their two children. Wendt works for a small business herself, Suffolk Automotive, so she knows how important it is.

“Whatever we can do to support downtown, I’m all about it,” she said.

James Wendt said he had discovered some new things about downtown during the family’s Saturday afternoon excursion.

“There’s a lot of cool shops I didn’t know were down here,” he said.

The day after Black Friday, renowned for its mad dash for electronics and toys at big-box retailers, was first set denoted as Small Business Saturday in 2010, when credit card company American Express promoted the idea.

This year was the second year Suffolk’s Department of Economic Development put on the (Re)Stored event on Small Business Saturday. Merchants said they had seen a lot of traffic.

“We’re doing very well,” said Rebecca Rowland, who was one of several businesses set up in the Oasis lounge on West Washington Street.

Rowland, who is from Hampton, was promoting the product she designed to take the place of several kitchen implements. One side of the product is a towel and a dish cloth; the other side features an attractive print of the type usually seen on potholders, and it can function as a potholder or a trivet. A hole in one corner allows it to hang for drying or decoration.

“Once people see it, they get it,” Rowland said, making face-to-face interaction at events like Saturday’s (Re)Stored so important.

Hope and Lakiri Holman of Hope 4 My Teen were selling their line of stickers and magnets to alert other drivers of a teen behind the wheel. They have branched out into similar products for seniors, which sassy sayings such as “Back off!” and “Don’t judge me!”

“There are a lot of people coming over,” Lakiri Holman said.