Supporting Small Businesses During COVID-19

While things are very uncertain in the world around us, one thing we do know is that smaller businesses are being severely impacted by this worldwide health crisis. This is unprecedented, and something no one plans for. I’ve been brainstorming some ways we can continue supporting local, without even leaving our homes, and I hope that if you are able to spend money, you’ll make an effort to still spend locally when possible. If you’re not able to spare any money right now, I’ve included several FREE ideas for how to continue supporting small businesses, local artists, libraries and non-profits during the coronavirus shutdown.

Share Some Love

Maybe you can’t shop at your favorite local retail store or visit your favorite coffee shop or restaurant, but there are ways to continue supporting the businesses that add so much value to our communities.

Consider ordering gift cards from them to use or gift later. One of my friends suggested this and I LOVE THIS IDEA. Call and order gift cards over the phone, so you’re supporting them without leaving your home. Maybe you can even accomplish some very early Christmas shopping by ordering some local gift cards from your fave places??
Use delivery or pickup services. One of my favorite local pet stores, The Better Beagle Co in Oxford, CT, is offering delivery services to your home, and they’re even giving you a free bag of Primal dog treats with every delivery this month. Another favorite, Leaps & Bones in South Windsor, CT (and I’m sure ALL stores will do this if you ask), is offering a service to pay over the phone and they will load your car at their back door. They are also offering once a week delivery. The Mystic Pet Shop in Mystic CT is also doing curbside pick up AND is offering to work with customers who need to stock up but are low on cash right now. THIS is why we shop local. Call your favorite shops and ask. If they are open, offer to pay over the phone before arriving, get what you need and don’t touch anything extra, or have them deliver items to your car or your home.
Leave them some LOVE in the form of REVIEWS. Maybe you can’t go out in public to shop, maybe shops are closed, and maybe you can’t swing extra cash during an uncertain time to help someone else’s business. But here’s a FREE and super kind way to help: Leave REVIEWS. Go on Google and Facebook and tell your favorite local shops, artists, businesses, non-profits, etc., how awesome they are. This helps small business owners immensely in the form of social proof. Nearly all customers do online research before shopping somewhere or hiring someone, and having social proof helps businesses greatly in their marketing efforts to new customers. This is FREE, takes maybe 30 seconds of your time, and is a big help. You can even copy and paste your Facebook review to Google and help them double.
Partnerships: If you are a small business owner and are slow or shut down right now, use this opportunity to finally reach out to another business owner to form that partnership you’ve been thinking about for ages. If you’re not a business owner but know of some that may benefit from a connection, reach out! Create an introduction between two businesses who might be able to work together in the future.
Order from Etsy instead of Amazon. Many artists and creatives also sell online, using Etsy or their own websites. Try to order from them instead of going to Amazon, especially if you can wait an extra day or two for a delivery. Many talented creators can still work from home during this time and get products shipped to you, so if you’re using this stay-at-home-time to redecorate, organize your house, start a new hobby or do some fun craft projects, consider ordering from small time artists instead of giant box stores.

Libraries & Local Book Stores

If you’re not already familiar with these ideas, I’m about to BLOW YOUR MIND. A couple years ago I read a book in December and realized it was the ONLY BOOK I’D READ ALL YEAR. Gross. What the heck happened to me and my learning, thriving brain?!? So I committed to reading at least one book a month the following year. I read 17 books that year. Then last year I read 44. This year I’ve already read 18. Want to know my secret?

Libby: This INCREDIBLE app allows you to listen to audiobooks free from your local library on your smart phone. It’s extremely user-friendly, FREE, and you can hold up to 10 books at a time, so even if you have to wait a bit for a bestseller, you can basically have a constant stream of books to read. I am not kidding when I tell you that this app has CHANGED MY LIFE. *Also, this helps me continue to support my local library. I am a huge advocate for libraries, as they are an incredible community resource and have very limited funding. Every time you check out a book (or Libby audiobook), it helps them continue to get state funding.
Libro FM: Want to keep supporting your favorite local bookstores during the shutdowns? I have your answer. This app, similar to Audible, allows you to access audiobooks while supporting your LOCAL bookstore, instead of Amazon. Click here to get started.
Shop Local Online: My favorite local bookstore, River Bend Bookshop in Glastonbury CT, also offers online shopping, which is perfect at a time when sitting home and reading is actually possible! Try to choose local when you can, especially since many brand new books are the same price everywhere. Note that River Bend Bookshop is also offering curbside pickup, as I’m sure are many others!

performing artists, teachers, community organizers

Online Learning: I am blown away by the amazing ideas now being circulated online. I just saw an artist offering free online classes for children every day next week (I will link that here if I can find it again). They can watch online and use simple supplies from home to do art projects. BRILLIANT.
- Use this time to download music from local musicians, take classes taught by local artists or educators, learn a new skill, etc.
Online Sharing: If someone is doing something brilliant and fun and creative online right now, share it. Share it, and leave them reviews, and make a list of all the people you can’t wait to see perform or teach live once this is all over. For musicians, comedians and performing artists, sharing their work online has an incredible ripple effect that can transform their career.

Restaurants

Order In: If you can get delivery from UberEats, GrubHub or Postmates from your locally-owned restaurants, do so and pay over the phone by credit card. Have them leave the food on the doorstep. TIP WELL.
Order Gift Cards: Same as above with local shops - ordering gift cards to use later at your favorite restaurants can give a quick cash flow to a business that’s hurting right now.

Many states have started shutting down restaurants and bars since I first drafted this, so I’ll also add to follow the above recommendation about leaving them some online love. If you can’t directly support them, leave reviews on Facebook, Google and Yelp for these businesses to help them with their marketing when they reopen. It may not feel like much, but it helps. If you have a friend that owns a business that has been forced to shut down, reach out to offer words of encouragement or even financial support if you can.

Non-profits

Donate Money, if you can. Places that serve the least vulnerable like Meals on Wheels, local soup kitchens, local animal shelters, etc. will need all the extra help they can get right now, since their services are going to be more complicated than ever to get to the people that need them in a sanitary and safe way.
Donate Items you have too many of, like toilet paper, paper towels, soap, and hand sanitizer. I know that the CT Humane Society and Protectors of Animals in East Hartford CT are both running low on hand sanitizer right now, and I am sure they are not the only ones. These places need to keep running, so making sure the staff and volunteers are safe is extremely important. If you have extra, share.
Use Amazon Smile if you need to order items from Amazon anyway. Simply type “Amazon Smile” into the search instead of just “Amazon.com” and then make sure your account is connected to your favorite local charity. This costs you nothing extra but every little bit helps for local non-profits.

What other creative ideas have you done or heard about to support small businesses during this difficult time? Remember that these small businesses, community groups and non-profits are what make our communities strong, and this is a time for us to come together in creative (and virtual) ways. Please be safe, STAY HOME as much as possible, wash your hands, and do your part. If we all consider the greater good more than ourselves right now, we will get through this much faster and stronger. Sending love and lots of doggy snuggles to all of you ❤️