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ST. LOUIS — Shoppers arrived in shifts and the two dozen or so booths were spaced more than 6 feet apart. But during Small Business Saturday at City Foundry STL, holiday shopping felt nearly normal.

“I really love it. It’s nice. It feels safe. It feels nice to support local businesses,� said Gloria Anaya, 33, who lives in the Central West End and heard about the event, dubbed WintrMrkt, on Instagram.

City Foundry STL, located in former foundry buildings in midtown St. Louis, is scheduled to open next spring and will include a food hall, public market and office and entertainment spaces.

This is the third public event the foundry has hosted since the start of the pandemic. A restaurant rally in April and a market for Black-owned businesses in October were all held outdoors, using a private street that runs down the center called City Foundry Way.

“We’re just really excited to host events here and to activate the space even though we had to delay the opening,� said Christina Weaver, director of marketing for the foundry. The opening, which had been scheduled for last summer, was held off because of the pandemic.

Shoppers had to reserve tickets to shop at Saturday’s market in order to prevent crowding.

Because the response was so overwhelming, the foundry decided to host a second day next Saturday. Almost all tickets for that event have been reserved and the foundry was working with the city to open more slots, Weaver said.

City Foundry STL’s asset manager, Will Smith, said the foundry hopes to host as many outdoor events like this as they can, weather permitting.

Patty Upchurch of Patty’s Cheesecakes (slogan: “We make you cheese�) will have a spot in the food hall when the foundry opens in the spring. She had a booth at Saturday’s market and said business has been good there and beyond.

“Thanksgiving was crazy,� she said. She thinks people know it’s important to support local, especially during the pandemic.

“It’s a way to still have community and be connected,� she said. And the fact that most of her cheesecakes are individual servings that can be wrapped for safe sharing also helps, she said.

Megan Ludwig volunteers for Forai, a nonprofit that supports and trains refugee women who make jewelry and other gifts. She sat at its booth Saturday and said business was steady.

“It’s definitely been tough,� she said. She said the nonprofit mostly relies on markets and has been trying to make do with online sales and its annual fundraiser, which had to go virtual this year.

“They’re adapting the best they can,� she said. “The top priority is to keep (the women) safe.� The women go on site for training but can make most of the jewelry and other products at home, she said.

The WintrMrkt was organized by Collections by Joya, a hand-crafted jewelry line. More information is available at about Saturday’s event and future events.