Covid-19 Impact on Small Businesses

When the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown began almost a year ago, many non-essential businesses had to close their doors and hope that the pandemic wouldn’t last long. No one expected this to be ongoing past the summer, and with many people still staying home for most of the week, it has been a struggle to stay floating for many small businesses. According to Womply, spending at local restaurants is still down 58%, even with most restaurants that could survive through the pandemic are now open. This is especially tough considering the profit margins for restaurants are incredibly thin, usually being between 3 and 5 percent. Losing these restaurants put many people out of a job, and struggling to find a new one with many places closing their doors. Many retail stores had to close down for a few months as well, forcing some to close their doors for good. According to Womply, the retailers that did stay open lost up to 77% of their income during the lockdown. We spoke to two local businesses in Williamsburg to get their insight on what they did throughout the pandemic.

Melaina Ramos is a co-owner along with Greg Mincher of La Tienda, a local Spanish cuisine restaurant in Williamsburg. She and Mincher had an opportunity to buy La Tienda in January of 2020 before any of us knew we were going to be in a widespread pandemic. When the news hit that everything was going to close, they were worried not about their income and closing the restaurant, but about their employees. Ramos wanted to make sure that her employees still had a job to come back to once the lockdown ended, so she strived to make sure they had all the resources they needed, whether it be food or help with filing for unemployment.

The community was very important for both Ramos and her partner, so while their restaurant had to close, they got to work in Williamsburg and joined a foundation called World Central Kitchen. World Central Kitchen provided the funds that La Tienda needed to be able to open again, and while they weren’t allowed to serve people, they made sure to make food for the community. They would have hot meals for those in need every night, and without any questions asked they could come and get whatever they needed. Ramos also delivered food to essential workers across Williamsburg, including but not limited to firefighters, grocery store workers, and firefighters. She said that doing this kept her on task and helped make her feel productive, “When times are really tough, contributing to something can help you stay afloat mentally.”

When La Tienda did finally open back up, they were able to bring all of their employees back without having to release anyone. They also ramped up their curbside and online orders to support people that didn’t necessarily want to eat inside somewhere. Being a restaurant, they were already used to meticulously cleaning and disinfecting everything, but they wanted to ensure their customers’ safety. To step up their disinfection, they have a company that specializes in deep cleaning come in and make sure that their restaurant is safe.

One thing that kept jumping out about La Tienda was their focus on community. They’ve always wanted that to be part of their goal, to bring the community closer together through food. Ramos said they couldn’t have done it without some people in and around Williamsburg. La Tienda had donations from several families from her past students, students that she taught years ago would come and buy meals to support them. There are even some customers that live in Newport News and Virginia Beach that will make the drive to come to buy meals. She said that she couldn’t have done everything she wanted to without them. I asked Ramos if there was anything in particular that she would want to say to these customers that stuck around, and she just wanted to say that they didn’t just help financially, they helped emotionally, by being there through the thick of it.

We also spoke with local business ACE Hardware, we asked how the pandemic affects the store. To our surprise, Manager Rich McDonough said that sales have been up by 33% as a result of the pandemic. “What I think is the reason that ACE has been busier is that people are home, they are making home improvement-spending time together as families, and because of that we are selling a lot more appliances.” He also said that there has been an increase in online orders. “We used to get maybe 12 a week- now we receive over 20 a day.”  Yet even with these unseen benefits the business still had to undergo major changes in order to provide a safe, clean, and easy to navigate environment for customers and employees. They now have a whole department dedicated to maintaining the online orders and systems, which opened up new positions for hire. Ace has also doubled the amount of cleaning since the beginning of COVID-19, making sure to follow all of the recommended CDC and government guidelines.

Small businesses are the backbone of our Williamsburg community. From local farm-to-table establishments to unique boutiques, all of which impact and stimulate our economy. They provide job opportunities for thousands across our region, and at the same time give back to our community through sponsorships and donations. As this pandemic had hit hard for millions across the world, be sure to continue to support your local business whenever you can!