Andersonville’s shopping district draws crowds on Small Business Satu…

Shoppers may have spent Friday scouring for the hottest Black Friday deals, but Chicago holiday shoppers clearly weren’t done by Saturday as they were out in full force for the 13th annual Small Business Saturday.

Throngs of people packed narrow sidewalks on North Clark Street in Andersonville, one of the strongest neighborhoods for small business shopping in Chicago. Space was even more limited inside many of the small shops and boutiques—several of which were experiencing their first holiday season thanks to an influx of recently opened stores in the neighborhood.

“I knew this would be a great place for a small business because I was a consumer here before a business owner,” said Emma Lewis, who opened Rare Form, an art-deco concept store specializing in antique prints, three months ago.

Around midday, Lewis said Small Business Saturday had been “crazy” so far with a constant stream of shoppers milling around the store.

[ Chicago area’s Black Friday shoppers continue…