The past 15 months have brought about challenges to the retail world nobody could have ever predicted. While there has been great loss in the industry, we’ve also seen heartwarming stories of stores using unique approaches to overcome new hurtles and communities coming together to support their local businesses.
For Melinda Gibson, owner of Pasts and Presents Card Gift and Home in Lenexa, Kansas, the biggest lesson from operating a store during the pandemic was learning how to be flexible and go with the flow. “During the pandemic, each day was different, and as different things were happening, we kind of had to change our ideas and our plans,” Melinda said.
Laura Shearer, the owner of Rusty Petunia’s Marketplace in Alpena, Michigan, echoed this sentiment, saying that she was forced to come up with unique strategies to keep her store afloat. “I said, ‘Either I sit here and let my business go, or I do something about it. And I have to think outside the box.’ So, I did,” she said.
During the initial shutdown, one of the most challenging decisions Melinda and her team had to make was whether they should build up the store’s website or stick with Facebook and curbside pickup. They ultimately decided with the latter and were able to maintain 25 percent of their business.
Laura also started utilizing Facebook a lot more than she previously had, doing Facebook Lives for Rusty Petunia’s customers. “The store started getting boxes and I’d go, ‘Well, guys, I don’t know what we ordered because it was so long ago, but I’m just going to open it up in front of you on Live.’ And it became a thing,” she said.
Melinda said it’s heartwarming how supportive her customer base has been during this time. “They’re definitely more conscientious of shopping small. I think we saw that all the way through this, which is huge. It’s nice that they are aware of small businesses and the importance of shopping small.” Laura also noticed the trend of her customers shopping small and is touched by how much people have rallied around their community’s local businesses.
While determining how to go about reopening, Melinda could tell how much her customers appreciated making them feel safe. “Every day we were hearing, ‘I’m in your store because I know you’re doing the right thing.’ We just really want to give customers the sense that we’re taking this seriously and we’re going to do what’s in everyone’s best interest.”
Going forward, Melinda thinks a big shift both for her store and the retail industry in general is going to be more about planning ahead than they might be used to. “I think it’s going to take a little bit more on our end to make sure we stay stocked with inventory and have what we need to maintain business and generate those sales, especially heading into fourth quarter,” she said.
Laura’s customers have started buying gifts for people in their lives that they might not have before the pandemic—people just seem to be in the giving spirit. Therefore, it’s important retail owners hang in there: the gift giving world is going to explode. “I think there’s a lot of people scared and unsure. And I think a lot of business owners are scared to take that next step. And to me, I just think business owners need to hang in there. Just hang in there because the gift giving world is becoming huge.”
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