Retailers in Selma were not getting the blues during “Green Saturday.” Quite the opposite.

Those who participated in the event, which was organized by the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce’s retail committee,, reported increased sales and foot traffic.

Clutterbugs owner Jeanie Motes said she had already seen a difference before lunch.

“We have been pretty busy all morning,” Motes said. “It’s been good for us, keeping money in Selma. We have to pay expenses like rent and utilities, so it’s important to keep our money at home.”

Motes said she marked many items in the store down 15 to 20 percent, which resulted in more business.

On Time Fashions owner Zuheir Dabit said shopping Selma just makes sense.

“Shopping out of town is like owning a house and painting your neighbor’s house,” Dabit said. “You have to take care of your own house.”

In most cases, Dabit, who said he marked many items down 20 percent for the sale, said Selma merchants offer the same items that can be found in Montgomery.

“We have most of the things that can be found in bigger towns, but a lot of people don’t know that,” he said. “We’re trying to get the word out. The more people shop at home, the more we can improve our town. That’s more roads that can be fixed because of the increase in tax money.”

For Steve Grossman, whose wife Laura owns The Frame Shoppe, the sale also presented a great opportunity for people to get a jump on their holiday shopping.

“It really makes Christmas shopping a lot easier for people, especially in our case” he said. “A lot of times when you need to have something framed and do so out of town you have to make two trips. You have to make the initial trip and then a second one to pick it up.”

Grossman said shopping at home can save residents as much as $10 in gas.