MADISON, Wis. -- Downtown Madison was busy on Friday with shoppers looking for unique gifts from local retailers.

At The Soap Opera on State Street, customers said they are taking pride in buying local, especially when purchasing holiday gifts, because they know their money is going back into their community during these tight economic times.

"I like all the different boutiques; you can get a lot of different things -- it's not all the same. I was looking through some of the ads coming out in the paper and pretty much all the big box stores have the same stuff," said Heidi Blankenship, of Madison.

Owners of The Soap Opera said that because of the "Buy Local" push, their business is up to par with previous years.

"Today is going just fine, right on schedule. People are coming downtown and enjoying walking around in the sunshine and it's nice to see a lot of old friends this time of year," said Chuck Bauer, co-owner of The Soap Opera.

Dane Buy Local said that buying from local businesses during this holiday season might be even more important than past years due to the economy. It said a good year for local stores like The Soap Opera is a good year for the entire business community.