Covid has taken small business owners with the hard task of figuring out how to stay open as well as keep people safe. Many have been forced to close their doors and during the first three months, their revenue was down almost 40%. Some might have not been able to reopen even now while others have made pivots to service their customers without any home contact. The need to support these businesses is most immediately obviously but the benefits of shopping small trends beyond the time of crisis right now. Below are a few tips to help and even share some great businesses in California.
- They Make A Positive Impact: The global pandemic has affected our economy in more ways than we could have ever thought and while we can’t stop, we can make a choice with our money to help local businesses stay afloat and give them a fighting chance. Small entrepreneurship inspires and facilities more entrepreneurship- think online who look at small brands and bring their product to new audiences. When you shop small, your dollars stay within your community. One of my favorite local shops to support are small coffee shops that bring in locals to enjoy the soothing taste of coffee, a meet and greet for neighbors, and a safe location to enjoy being productive.
2. They Support Communities: Small businesses create local jobs for those looking to start a new career or improve their hobby into a full-time business. This has been the case for a Los Angeles barber Jeff Villenas. He is the founder of Picasso Scalp Micropigmentation and has been in the hair industry for more than 8 years. He has served thousands of clients, established a reputation as one of the most seasoned and skilled S.M.P. specialists in the midwest region, and has won several international awards for Scalp micro pigmentation training! His scalp micropigmentation in Los Angeles offers a non-surgical treatment option for baldness in many forms. Men and women of all ages can have a more full-looking head of hair with this procedure and offer true skill, compassion, and dedication to have you feeling and looking your best. You won’t even notice a difference between the actual follicles and the microdot tattoos!
3. Customers Come First: Large brands that have looked at personal experiences truly win in the retail game. Many business owners fill every role in the business, including customer service. Without these specific layers of corporate policy, small business owners can make their own rule. The good ones will bend over backward for each shopper because every customer matters when you are small. They truly take pride in every person that walks through their shop and picks them to shop at. I love the company PickTrace which offers a harvest management solution for farmers. They are building the agricultural management system of the future, with unparalleled user empathy in an industry underserved by tech. Their product serves the world’s largest berry, citrus, and apple growers and is used by tens of thousands of farmworkers each day who take pride in bringing products to grocery stores and local farmer markets around the state.
4. Look Around Your Neighborhood: Are you looking to help small businesses in your area? Take a look around while you are out walking in your neighborhood. Is there a small grocer you haven’t looked at before? Check around for any independent bookstore you haven’t seen. Check with any friends or neighbors and review local social media websites to discover local businesses that may become your new favorites once you continue to visit!
5. Share On Social: A big and quick way to support your small businesses is by sharing them! Word of mouth is huge and can quickly reach hundreds or thousands of people in seconds. Did you find a favorite small coffee shop? Does it help pay its employees? Help them stay afloat by paying it forward and tell your friends, neighbors, and followers how they can support such as future purchases or buying gift cards. While others in your circle may be looking for gift ideas of their own, share your unboxing experiences of short reviews of products that you have purchased from small businesses.
Going forward, helping support local small businesses is critical to keeping your favorite shops going, especially when we are facing a global pandemic. Do your best to continue sharing about your favorite and local stores on social media, word of mouth, grab gift cards to give to people from out of town, and do what you can to keep their dream going in the next few months and years.
Want to see more local San Diego Businesses to shop? Check out these: my favorite local San Diego Businesses!
~ XOXO, the local shopper, Amanda // Blonde out of Water
