The Payoff

Last week during a conversation with a few friends who also happen to own local small businesses I admitted to feeling guilty about all the positive changes that have taken place with my own business since the advent of COVID19. “I know what you mean,” they said as they, too, feel the same awkwardness when people apologize for the overall state of disruption due to the pandemic. With so many stories in the news about small businesses struggling under the weight of reduced capacity, supply chain interruption, shelter-in-place orders, and worker safety, now seven months into this pestilence what could have been the death knell for some businesses has turned into a blessing. The common denominator in many such cases is the adherence to the local paradigm.There have been two distinct camps—the ones who are still screaming at the top of their lungs in anger and frustration about having to change and the ones who have taken a deep breath and said, “What do we need to do?” The popular term, I believe, is pivot.Over the last several months I’ve witness many business owners making changes they could have never imagined such as restaurants and specialty shops turning into neighborhood bodegas because the grocery chain stores had empty shelves while perishable foods filled their walk-ins and shelves with nowhere to go. Even my local grain elevator started carrying milk and toilet paper!But there is more than just changing your business model to reflect a new way to meet your customers’ needs. Just about every big box store and grocery chain now boasts online ordering and curbside service. Heck, yesterday I ordered a new stove online and picked it up via curbside at Lowe’s! Yes, they had free delivery, but that service was backed up over three weeks and I couldn’t see cooking off my propane camping burner that long. I tried the local independent appliance stores first, but both said the same thing—most appliances were back-ordered until late October, one even going so far to add he hadn’t seen such brisk sales in all the years he’d owned his store—42 years!It finally dawned on me; people are starting to see the benefits of being a local small business. For over thirty years I have been banging on the local foods drum--from helping start regional producer markets to cold-calling chefs. When I look at the local businesses who let out a collective hell yeah, we’ve got this, they are all active participants within their communities. They are the first ones to hold fundraisers for others in need or causes affecting their workers, friends, and families. They reach out to others, often behind the scenes and seeking no attention for it. They sponsor local sports teams and purchase club projects from the local 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) groups. They make sure the local food banks and shelters are well-stocked. While a local restaurant’s dining room was empty due to the initial shut-down, they used the space to make lunches for low-income kids who might not otherwise get a meal because they were fed at school. Most importantly, they support other small businesses, helping each other in supportive ways instead of cutthroat competition. No where has this become more evident than in local food and beverage production.The Cornucopia Institute once offered the measurable statistic that a dollar spent on local food multiplies ten times. That dollar goes even further when workers are able to live within the communities where they are employed.Cultural geographers are predicting large migrations of people within the United States over the next five years due to many businesses requiring employees to work virtually and environmental factors such as fires and flooding. There’s a reason that retail chains have taken over the country with each shopping center a cookie cutter footprint designed to entice shoppers no matter from where they hail. But how many times have you walked into a large chain store where the checker (if there is one) knows you by name, questions when you’re forgetting a usual item, or alerts you to something special they know you’ll enjoy. Try forgetting your wallet. Chances are no one will say, “It’s ok, pay me next time.”It is precisely that type of service, of localness, that is driving customers to support businesses in their communities like never before. When restaurants cautiously opened back up, some were faced with an unexpected throng of customers wanting to show their support through patronage. As one chef told me, “Our customers tell us they are coming here to spend money because they know we’ve been supporting local growers for years. It’s their way of showing how much they care.”My guilt has been replaced with a sense of accomplishment as I see so many small businesses and customers coming together during times of crisis to help everyone get through as best we can. We are finally living up to the slogans on our bumper stickers, t-shirts and hats.