There was something different about last Saturday in downtown Greenville. It was bustling with activity.

Many parking places were occupied. Folks were strolling up and down Commerce Street, often carrying shopping bags.

“This is great to see people out and shopping downtown again,” said shopper Annabel Markle.

Several local businesses came together and held holiday open houses, offering drawings for door prizes, sidewalk sales, discounts, refreshments and that “personal touch” sometimes missing in big city big box stores.

“We’ve had a great day,” said Marilyn Grayson of Grayson’s in Greenville, one of the participating businesses, as she nodded toward the large pile of presents being wrapped in her Fort Dale Road shop.

Monograms and Designs by Janice, The Pineapple, Karen Rainey Interiors and the newest addition to the downtown scene, Southern Treasures, all reported brisk business during the holiday open house, as shoppers made inroads on their Christmas shopping lists and purchased items for holiday decorating.

At Whitney Bank, members of the Greenville Fine Arts League featured their artwork and handicrafts for show and sale.

The bank’s former conference room was lavishly decorated in true holiday style and featured a large array of refreshments for attendees.

Everything from handcrafted jewelry to decorated eggshell ornaments, along with floral photography, wildlife paintings, still life watercolors, mixed media, note cards, crocheted crafts and stained glass were on display.

While the traffic at the bank was not as high as the organization had hoped, the artists’ and artisans’ works will again be on display at Whitney Bank this Saturday, November 14 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“We know there was a lot of competition with so much going on around town and the Auburn and Alabama games. So we are going to do it again this Saturday,” said Barbara Middleton of the League.

“We hope folks will come out and enjoy some wonderful refreshments with us and see all the wonderful talent represented here.”