DC Leadership: Continue Support for Small Businesses Like Ours
Published in Washington Informer, December 9th, 2020
This year has been incredibly challenging for small-business owners, especially for those on the east side of the city like us. Last winter, when the pandemic began and shutdowns and shortages soon followed, we kept our doors open so we could provide essentials to our neighbors who needed it the most. In Wards 7 and 8, where large grocery stores are far and few between, stores like ours went from places to stop for a snack and a drink, to being lifelines for our community.
Thankfully neither of us had to shut our businesses down, but we are making hard sacrifices. Whether it means product cuts or costly layout changes to accommodate social distancing, we are doing whatever it takes to stay open and serve our community. We’ve even learned to navigate and embrace online ordering and delivery systems, to continue to take care of our neighbors and customers who can’t risk in-person visits.
We adapted, always adjusting our practices in response to the city’s guidelines. Even as our profit margins are suffering, our priority is to protect our employees and our customers so we can all return to normal someday.
