Supporting small business in a pandemic and why it matters so much

March 23, 2020By Heidi Barr

Small business and resilience

Small businesses are important to our local economy because they strengthen local supply chains and are a part of keeping our communities resilient. Being able to produce goods locally and provide for basic needs means more resources are available during tough times. Small businesses also create gathering places in our communities by fostering social connections that help protect our most vulnerable members. We can also pivot business practices to meet the needs of our community quickly because we are nimble and more flexible than larger chains.

Resilience in action

I have seen this play out in so many ways in our community in the past week. From shopkeepers encouraging folks to shop directly online with makers and other boutiques, to offering curbside pickup or home delivery, to direct messaging check-ins with each other as makers supporting other makers, and even freely sharing perishable goods that cannot be sold due to suddenly having to shutter their doors. This is happening all over the country!

Shop small

We are all pivoting our small businesses online right now and shifting gears away from in-person interaction for the moment. So, please shop with us online and together we can help keep our communities resilient.

Here are some of my favorite sustainable brands offering creative solutions:

vault and vine for floral subscriptions
sabbatical beauty for skin care, and new line of hand sanitizer
Cadence Restaurant, transitioned to a fine dining farm to table take out menu!
Isabella Sparrow, for an online course on planting a kitchen garden and local delivery of plant starts.
terra luna herbals is developing online basic apothecary and gardening courses.
the resource exchange, is a nonprofit reuse center, diverting valuable materials from the waste stream, including many fabrics I use. Donations to them are tax deductible!

Can't shop right now? You can still help!

Here are some excellent ways to support small businesses even if you cannot shop right now. This list is cribbed from Danu Organic.

Leave a positive review for your favorite local and small businesses so other people can find them online.
Follow them on a social media channel and share their posts, photos, and videos with your friends and followers.
Share blog posts they write.
Like, comment, and use their hashtags!
Consider long-term ways you can shift your spending from big corporations to the local economy.
Watch their online events and plan to show up to their live events in the future.